Harry Potter and the Gift From Death
by Powerofthewolves18
Summary: <html><head></head>Two months had passed since the Final Battle at Hogwarts. Two months since Voldemort had fallen for the final time. Join Harry and Co as they get a visit from a mysterious being, discover a lost species and deal with all the things that come with something so big. Powerful Harry and Ginny! Hybrid characters! Returns from beyond the Veil! And much more! Enjoy!</html>
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Gift from Death

Chapter 1 - Introduction.

1st, August, Sunday, 1998.

It was almost three months after the Battle of Hogwarts that took place on May the 2nd 1998, it was the start of August and the Wizarding world was returning to a state of normality. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been voted as Minister of Magic. Most of the known Death Eater's had been caught and punished for their crimes. Hogwarts castle had been restored to it former glory. It was relatively peaceful for most of the Wizarding world but not for one man.

This man's name was Harry James Potter, and he hadn't had it easy. You see Harry was one of the main people involved in the Battle of Hogwarts, he was responsible for Voldemort's final downfall, as a result of this he was more famous than before when he was, to the Wizarding world, 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', but now after two years of being called 'The Chosen One' he now finds himself being called many different names such as 'The-Man-Who-Won' and 'The-Man-Who-Conquered'.

Harry had been used to the fame as he was the only person to survive the killing curse (Avada Kedavra), when he was a baby causing Voldemort's first downfall, but he wasn't prepared for how much more fame he would get after bringing about Voldemort's downfall for a second and final time.

All Harry wanted was a nice quiet life, something he had never had since he entered the Wizarding world. He had went to live with his Muggle Aunt and Uncle and their son, as his own parents were killed on the night he became The-Boy-Who-Lived, they never told him anything to do with his parents or even his own story he'd had to find out from Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, when he was 11 years old, and then he'd been thrown into the Wizarding world where he had to fight Trolls, deadly plants, Werewolves, Dragons, Death Eater's, Giants, reporters, the Ministry and Voldemort.

So as anyone with two eyes could see, Harry had a good reason to want some peace and quiet. Unfortunately for Harry he wasn't that lucky and kept getting swarmed by people and reporters wherever he went, although he was safe when he stayed at the Burrow, home to the Weasley family, which he didn't mind as he could spend time with his adoptive family, his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger who together with him were called the 'Golden Trio', and his girlfriend Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister.

It was reasonably quiet at the Burrow as the family was still grieving the loss of one of the Weasley twins and many good friends at the moment, but little did the people living at the Burrow know that everything would soon be turned upside down in a most unexpected way...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Deal.

It was a quiet night at the Weasley family home on Monday the 2nd of August, everyone was sitting in the kitchen at the table eating their dinner and just enjoying each others company. At the table were eleven people and these people were Bill and his wife Fleur, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Ginny, Arthur and Molly Weasley and, of course, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

After dinner everyone sat and chatted untill dessert was served. After everyone had a slice of the delicious chocolate cake that was for dessert everyone split into different conversations.

Harry looked around the room smiling in contentment. This went unnoticed by all except his beautiful girlfriend.

"What are you smiling at Harry?" Ginny asked gaining the attention of Ron and Hermione who were sitting across from them.

"I'm just thinking how normal this seems compared to what we went through in the past year." he replied shooting a look at Ron and Hermione, they still hadn't talked about what they were doing with the family while they were away for 10 months.

Ginny smiled at him and said, "Its okay if you're not ready to talk about it yet you know, besides we can guess from the public story that it's not good."

Harry smiled at her, so did the other two.

"Thanks Ginny." Hermione said speaking for the three of them. "It was pretty bad. We know we will have to talk eventually..." her voice trailed off.

"... But were just not ready yet." Ron finished for her.

Harry looked around and noticed the rest of the family had been watching them silently. He looked back at Ron and Hermione and motioned for them to follow him out the back door.

"We'll be back in a minute everybody." he said before going through the back door with Ron and Hermione right behind him.

"Whats up mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah Harry you look like you have an idea." Hermione added.

"Well sort of," Harry admitted. "I think we should ask Professor McGonagall if we could borrow the pensive for next weekend and just show everyone what we went through. It's time they knew don't you think?"

Just as he predicted they both looked shocked after he told them his idea.

Hermione was first to recover, "You know I think that might be better than telling the story it would help them understand more. Good idea Harry."

"Yeah mate, your right, it's time they knew." Ron said.

"I'll owl McGonagall in the morning then shall I?" Harry asked getting nods from the other two, they went back inside.

Everyone looked up curiously as they entered.

"Everyone we have reached a decision." Harry announced, "We are going to borrow the pensive from Professor McGonagall next weekend and we're going to show you what we went through instead of telling you, we feel it will help you all understand better."

Everyone in the room was silent after the announcement. It was Molly who broke the silence.

"Are you sure your ready dears?" she asked.

"Yes, we all feel it is time for you all to know." Ron said with Hermione nodding next to him.

"Well if your sure, son. I'm sure we can all get the weekend off of work." Arthur said.

Those who had a job nodded.

Suddenly there was an odd voice that went through the house. "Harry Potter," It said, "Rightful possessor of the Deathly Hallows, I request a meeting with you immediately. Do not worry I won't harm you or anybody in the room as long as you agree not to attack me when I appear."

Everyone looked at Harry.

"Has everyone got their wands?" he asked getting nods from everyone "Okay keep them in your hands and we will meet who that voice belongs to." he said, there was a bright light next to the door and some sort of portal appeared. A figure glided out of it.

The figure looked like a normal person only it had no legs, it was floating, and its skin was a greyish black and its eye's were glowing with a soft golden light. It radiated raw power that they could all feel.

"I mean you no harm." it said raising its hands.

"Who are you?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I, as hard as it is to believe, am Death. I have come to offer you a deal for handing me Tom Riddle or rather Lord Voldemort." the figure now identified as Death said.

"What kind of deal and why?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Well you see, Tom Riddle had cheated me, I don't like being made a fool of. He made, as you know, seven items to try to make himself immortal." Harry nodded hesitantly, still not really trusting this being. "Well the deal I would like to make with you Harry Potter is this: I will give you back seven lives lost to Tom Riddle or his followers for one small price."

Harry thought for a moment then said in a voice that shook slightly, "What price?"

"The price is this: you must allow myself to turn you and one other person into a hybrid." Death stated calmly.

"A hybrid? What kind of hybrid?" Harry asked.

"It is a lost species. It has existed before. It's similar to the Werewolf curse with a few differences, such as: You will not be dangerous to humans on the full moon and will be able to change at will, it is always forced on the full moon but it will be mostly painless. It can be freely named by you."

"That sounds reasonable." he turned to the others, "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's a good idea," Ginny said as the others nodded. "as long as it's not a trick." she added to Death.

"I assure you it's not a trick Miss Weasley." he responded pleasantly, "However it is two people, not just Mr Potter who has to become a hybrid."

Ginny thought for a minute then said "I'll do it." Molly looked worried so she added, "I'll be fine Mum."

"So Harry Potter do you accept and if you do who do you wish to bring back?"

Harry looked at Ginny and nodded. "I accept your terms. I wish to bring back James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black and Colin Creevey, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin and Fred Weasley." he said clearly.

"Unfortunately I cannot bring back Colin Creevey for you. He was destined to die, the others weren't, and Lady Fate would just kill him off again." Death said sounding rather apologetic, "It is inevitable and unavoidable. And he doesn't have a family tie to you or anyone else returning, that is also a condition I should have mentioned."

"Alright... How about Regulus Black then?" he asked hesitantly.

"That'll be fine." Death nodded, "Now if yourself and Miss Weasley will step away from the rest of the family," they did, "then stand still."

Death floated over to them and placed a hand on each of their heads, there was another bright white light that surrounded the three of them. When the light died down everyone else in the kitchen saw two massive wolves standing in the places of Harry and Ginny.

One of the wolves had midnight black fur that stuck up at the back of its head, stood about 6 foot 6 tall and had bright green eyes that were glowing slightly. The other wolf had silky red fur, was slightly smaller than the black wolf at about 6 foot 4 tall and had warm chocolate-brown eyes which like the black wolf were glowing slightly.

"It is done. Your loved ones will arrive outside at precisely 5.30 pm tomorrow I will see you again then. If you two want to change back to human just focus on being human again, you will be fully clothed. It is similar to an Animagus transformation," Death added, "The only downside is that you will crave raw meat more than cooked, I'll fill you in on more details tomorrow, I will be here at 4 pm to set up a portal to bring your loved ones back." with that Death disappeared in a flash of bright light.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The Explanations.

2nd, August, 1998.

After Death left everyone sat in silence, staring at the two wolves that were Harry and Ginny. It was Fleur who recovered from her shock first.

"'Zat was weird." she said.

"Yeah." replied Bill.

Ron turned to the wolves, "Harry? Ginny?" he asked hesitantly, "Will you turn back?"

Suddenly the two wolves reared and in their places were Harry and Ginny, with a few changes.

Harry now stood at a decent 6 foot tall and had more muscles on his body than before, he looked like a professional runner. Ginny was taller too at about 5 foot 11 and it seemed she too had a bit more muscle, not like someone who spends all day in the gym but like a swimming champion.

"Wow, um, guys do you feel any different?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah I feel taller and stronger." Harry replied. "What about you Gin, do you feel any different?"

Ginny nodded, "Yeah I feel stronger and taller as well."

"So what are you going to call the species?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm, I have no idea. Anyone got any ideas?" Harry asked the room in general.

"I have one." said Charlie, "How about 'Lycan'. Death did say it was similar to Lycanthropy." he pointed out. "It's easy enough to just shorten it."

Harry looked at Ginny and they both nodded.

"That's a great idea Charlie, that's what we will call it then." Ginny told everyone, "From this day forward we are 'Lycan's'."

"It will be good to find out what else you can do." Hermione said getting nod's from everyone in the room.

Just then George, who had been very quiet since Fred's death, spoke up, "Wait... Fred's coming back?" this was said in a very hoarse slightly disbelieving voice but there was an undertone of hope in it that could be heard quite clearly.

"Yes he is." Harry smiled.

George looked at him for a minute then suddenly grinned widley and went to hug Harry who looked shocked.

"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you..." George whispered into Harry's ear through sob's of happiness, "I'll finally feel whole again."

Molly was smiling at George while Arthur hugged her. "Yes thank you Harry." Arthur said as the rest nodded, "It means a lot to us that you asked to bring our Fred back to us."

"It's not a problem." Harry replied blushing, "All of you are like family to me, you stood by me when no one else would, you have never believed the stories that flew around about me and most of you always managed to cheer me up when I was down and help me battle the pain and Fred deserves to come back anyway. He died before his time as did the rest of the ones returning." he added.

"Who's Regulus Black, Harry?" Percy asked.

"It's Sirius's little brother." he replied.

"Sirius? As in Sirius Black?" Fleur asked. "I thought 'ee was a murderer?"

"No, he was framed by Peter Pettigrew he was innocent the whole time." Hermione explained. "The only thing he's guilty of are a few bad choices and breaking out of prison." she added.

"It's true but we can cover that when we're showing the returnees my third year. They're going to have to catch up anyway so I might as well just show everyone exactly what happened during all of my years at school." Harry told them and they all nodded.

"Who are the rest Harry, I only know Remus, Nymphadora and Fred." Fleur questioned.

"Well there's my parents, James and Lily Potter." he smiled at the though of seeing his parents alive for the first time since he was 15 months old. "Then there's my Godfather, Sirius Black and his brother Regulus Black, I don't actually know Regulus but I know he didn't deserve to die he was only 18 and he died doing what we had been doing during our time in hiding when we were away." here he looked at the other two members of the Golden Trio who nodded in understanding, "And obviously you know Remus and Nympadora Lupin nee Tonks and you all know Fred." they all nodded and chuckled.

"That makes sense." Fleur said

"Well I think we should all go to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow." Molly said.

Once they had all said their goodnight's they headed up to bed for the night.

3rd, July, 1998.

The next day after breakfast Harry sent an owl to Professor McGonagall asking if they could borrow the pensive to show everyone what they went through and inviting her to join them if she wished. He also explained the deal with Death and told her who was coming back, whilst hoping she wouldn't think he was insane.

Harry and Ginny then traveled to the home of Andromeda Tonks where they found her sitting with her sister Narcissa Malfoy and her nephew Draco Malfoy, who after the war was becoming a good friend to the Golden Trio, despite their history.

They explained to the three what had happened, as expected they were shocked.

"Your all welcome to join us at the Burrow at 5 pm those returning will arrive at half past we will have dinner after they arrive." Ginny said getting three sets of nod's.

As it was still only 3pm Harry and Ginny decided to stay for a chat and Harry got to spend some time with his godson Teddy when he woke up from his nap.

They all headed to the Burrow at 4 as that was when Death said he would arrive.

AT THE BURROW

They had just arrived at the Burrow and everyone was sitting at the tables that had been set up outside for the occasion, when there was a bright light, followed by a portal, like the night before and Death appeared.

"Hello everyone," he said, "Mr Potter and Miss Weasley as I said last night I have some more information for you on what my twin tells me you have named 'Lycan'."

"Who's your brother?" Harry asked confused.

"My brother is Life." Death replied sounding amused. Harry nodded thinking that it should have been obvious.

"Now," Death continued, "As you have probably noticed there have been some changes to your human shape, the main differences are in human form your reflexes will be improved as will your senses. Mr Potter you will find you don't need your glasses. Also you will become as fast and as strong as a wolf and your diet will become more dependant on meat like steak and beef."

Harry and Ginny nodded their understanding. Harry took his glasses off and noticed that he could indeed see perfectly, so he put them in his pocket.

"Now when you are in wolf form voluntarily you will always have your human mind but you will still have the instincts of a wolf. You will feel over protective of each other at times as you have a soul bond as a wolf you are classed as 'Life Mates' meaning you are meant to be together, it was Lady Fate who created the bond to make it easier to adjust to being a new species. I would recommend reading up on the natural habits of wolves as some of them will be valid to you such as the hunting habits because on the full moon while you have your human minds the wolf is still stronger and you will either have to hunt some animals or you may become restless and start chewing on things like furniture, basically it's a wolf's mind but you're not a danger to humans at all."

"So technically on full moons we can only influence the wolf?" Ginny asked. Death nodded slightly.

"So it's a wolf with a human in the back seat that can say 'No don't do that' or 'Go on it won't kill you'." Harry chuckled.

"Exactly like that, you will have overall decisions but the wolf can choose to ignore you if you don't fight hard enough. Now you wont be dangerous to humans but if you want to create another 'Lycan', as you have a soul bond you both have to bite the person, it wont leave scars and the bite wound will heal itself, also the Lycan virus will over rule the Werewolf curse and remove any scars that the Lycanthropy curse left, but only those scars. The natural ones or ones not caused by a werewolf will remain, you also have accelerated healing powers this power will heal any small cuts in seconds larger injures will take a few hours, unassisted that is. The accelerated healing wont heal illnesses you catch."

"Like a cold or flu?" Harry asked.

"You can get sick like everyone else. It's less likely but it can still happen. You will have a higher body temperature as well."

"How much higher?" Ginny asked.

"The normal temperature is 37 degrees celsius your temperature will be around 44 degrees celsius."

"Helpful in winter." Ron chuckled.

"Not so good in summer." Harry sighed.

"You'll get used to it. A normal Lycan, without a soul bond, can be alone to change someone into a Lycan."

Harry and Ginny were shocked it seemed being Lycan's would be an advantage instead of being a bad thing.

"There isn't much more to it than that. Now about these returnees they will be here in 30 minutes my twin is bringing them after he has explained what is happening but I will warn you that it is down to you to either show or tell them about what has happened since their deaths as I banned them from talking about it due to the suspicion you'd want those people back, Regulus Black hasn't spoken to any of them about haw he died, so they only know he's not evil."

"That seems fair," Ginny commented. Just then Professor McGonagall Apparated just outside the gate and started walking towards them.

"Hello Professor." Hermione said when she reached them.

"Hello everyone." she replied.

"Hi." was heard from everyone seated around the table.

"Please have a seat Minerva," said Molly, "Death here has just finished explaining things about the returnees and about the 'Lycan' virus." McGonagall sat down and everyone's attention went back to Death.

"Well, we have 30 minutes until my brother gets here, so any questions?" he asked.

"Yeah I have one," said Harry, "How old will the returnees be when they get here?"

"A very good question Mr Potter. Well Mr Fredrick Weasley will be the age he would have been had he not died so the same age as his twin so 20." George grinned at this, "As for the rest they will be getting put back to what their bodies were at 21 but they will still have their memories beyond that. Mr. Regulus Black will only be 17 a year before the age he died at. My twin and I felt it would be better as they suffered a lot and their old bodies were too damaged to restore completely. Lily and James Potter were only 20 when they died, they won't remember anything beyond the night Voldemort attacked."

"Okay." Harry said.

"Anymore questions?"

"Yes," said Ginny, "you said that our virus will over rule the Werewolf curse. Dose that mean if both Harry and I bite someone who is a Werewolf they will become a Lycan and remove the Werewolf curse completely?"

"Yes it does, the Lycan virus can over rule any illness, curse or disease even if it the accelerated healing wont cure the things you can catch. However in order for it to work for Werewolves you must have the Werewolves permission and they must relax and welcome the Lycan virus otherwise their curse will fight back and it may cause them to lose their human minds forever." he explained.

Ginny and Harry nodded.

"I have another question." Harry said, "Will being a Lycan affect any children a Lycan has? I've always wanted a big family." he explained.

"Well yes and no. Any children born to a Lycan will be born a Lycan, but they won't start transforming until they are 5 and able to understand the change. Although they will always have the heightened sense of smell, perfect vision and they will develop faster. A female Lycan will only carry the baby or babies for 6 months instead of 9 because of the accelerated healing powers, the healing powers take away some of the pain of giving birth but not all of it. Also it is more likely that a female Lycan will have twins or triplets, like a wolf has a litter of pups, the female's transformations into a Lycan won't affect the pregnancy." Death explained, "But it only takes one parent to be a Lycan for the child to be born a Lycan. I think you should also be aware that a female Lycan can control when she gets pregnant and when they have their period's but it is instinctive. I can't explain how they do it." Death added.

"Okay we will keep that in mind." Ginny said, blushing slightly.

"Right then they will be here in 5 minutes so we have time for one more question." said Death.

"I have one." George said. "Why is it that people are taken by you before their time?" everyone looked interested by his question.

Death sighed as though he had expected it, "Well... Sometimes I don't have a choice. During the war you were all a part of, and the first war, sometimes someone had to die in place of someone vital to ending the war. There are some people who just couldn't be saved and there are some who just gave up and let themselves be killed. I didn't want to claim as many live's as I did but... I know this sound's like an excuse... I had to. People were terrified to have kid's so the magical population is at it's all time low... Life is working on that." he smiled.

"How?" Molly asked.

"Well... He's going to create a 'baby boom' bigger than anyone has ever seen before." Death chuckled, "Even bigger than the one he created after Voldemort's first downfall."

"And that was a big one." Arthur chuckled.

"It was. Anyway I think Life's going to stretch this one out over the next 5 years before he relaxes it. It will be strictly magical too." Death added, "It might scare the non-magical population if there's a surge in births."

"It would do that." Andromeda agreed.

"Now I think the returnees' will be here any second." Death said and they all fell into a tense silence awaiting the returnees'.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - The Return

3rd, August, Tuesday, 1998.

Barley a minute after Death stopped speaking a door shaped portal opened and a figure floated out followed by seven people.

"Ah, Life, how nice of you to join us." Death said to the figure.

The figure, identified as Life, looked like the opposite of Death. Where Death was black or grey, Life was white or cream coloured, the only similarity was the eye's. Like Death's, Life's eyes were glowing with a soft golden light.

"Yes well you know how Lady Fate gets when it comes to us entering the human world." Life said with a chuckle.

"True," Death replied then turned back to the people seated at the table, "This is my brother Life everybody. Life have you explained to the returnee's what has been done?"

"Of course I have do you really think I wouldn't, brother mine?" Life said looking insulted.

Death just rolled his eye's as Life turned to the people behind him.

"This is where we leave you. Please be more careful with your lives we wont be able to bring you back if you die again." Life said sternly to the returnees who nodded.

Then both Life and Death floated back through the portal and dissapeared.

Everyone just sat or stood in silence staring at the returnees. Fred Weasley looking exactly the same as his twin, but with both ears. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin were looking younger as was Sirius Black as they had been aged back to thier 21 year old bodies, the two Potters not looking any older than they did when they died and Regulus Black looking like a younger version of Sirius at 17 years old.

The silence was broken by George saying, "Fred?" in an unbelieving voice that croaked a little.

Fred grinned and said, "Missed me Georgie?"

All of a sudden George was up and hugging Fred crying with happieness at finaly having his twin back then Molly was hugging them both. That seemed to break the silence and everyone was on their feet and hugging everyone. Andromeda was hugging her daughter and son-in-law with Teddy in her arms. Harry went and hugged his godfather and his parents. Narcissa was hugging Regulus and Minerva just went around and gave everyone a hug and a smile (She even hugged Regulus who looked surprised).

After the greetings and hugs were done Sirius turned to James and said, "I think they missed us Prong's."

James laughed and said, "I think your right Padfoot, what do you think Moony?"

Remus smiled at hearing the familiar banter again after so many years. "Of course they did Prong's." he replied smiling as Teddy, in his grandmothers arms, changed his hair from looking like Harry's to looking like Sirius's then going through the colours of the rainbow finaly settling on turquoise with Remus's style.

Harry then spoke up, "Welcome back all of you, we have missed you all terribly." he said smiling and took Teddy from Andromeda.

"I'll seccond that." Ginny said.

"So how are we going to get caught up?" Lily asked getting nod's from those who retuned, "None of us know anything that happened after our deaths other than that Voldemort is gone for good and that it involved Harry somehow." she said sounding a little confused and a little worried.

"Well I think we will use a pensive and show you what you have missed, but how about we do introductions first? We know all of you but I'm pretty sure you don't know all of us." said Hermione wisley.

"True," said James, "we only recognise people who were either in the afterlife with us or were in the Order of the Phoenix during the first war." he said pointing to himself and Lily.

"I don't know who you all are, as I wasn't in the Order, but I think I've seen most of your face's somewhere. Only the people that had been born before I died though, obviously." Regulus said. "Also I don't know if Dumbledore told you but he used to have someone who sent him information on Death Eater activity anonymously, it was me, I just want to make it clear that yes I was a Death Eater, but I wanted out a year before I died." he explained.

Harry nodded, "It may be best if you don't explain how you died yet, Regulus, your death is explained to us by Kreacher in our seventh year which we will be showing later on." he explained. Regulus nodded when suddenly Sirius ran and hugged his little brother.

"I knew it. I knew you'd see sense and see that I was right!" Sirius was whispering to his brother.

"Get off Sirius, remember I've already told you this when we were in the afterlife, just not how I died." Regulus complained.

"Right well, Introductions. I'm Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends." Hermione then motioned for the rest to introduce themselves.

"I'm Ron Weasley, the youngest Weasley son and Harry's other best friend."

"I remember you." Lily said suddenly, "You and Harry used to play together at order meetings with Neville Longbottom."

"Really?" Harry and Ron said together then laughed.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley child and the first female Weasley born in ten generations. I'm also Harry's girlfriend." Sirius wolf-whistled and was smacked over the head by Lily while Harry said "Shut it Snuffles." sending everyone into fits of laughter, except Sirius, who pouted.

"I'm George Weasley, Freds twin." George said once everyone had stopped laughing.

"I'm Percy Weasley, the third oldest son."

"I'm Charlie Weasley, the seccond oldest son."

"I'm Bill Weasley, I'm the oldest Weasley son, and this is my wife Fluer." Bill said putting an arm around Fluer.

"And obviosly I'm Aurthur Weasley and this is my wife Molly."

James and Lily nodded remembering the Weasley family.

"I'm Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora's mother and Sirius and Regulus's cousin. Just call me Andy." Andy said smiling.

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Mum. Everyone just call me Dora." they all nodded.

"I'm Narcissa Malfoy, this is my son Draco. We are both the cousins of Sirius and Regulus. Like with my sister, Andy, just call me Cissy. We are also both changing our last name's to Black as I'm divorcing my husband."

Sirius stared. Cissy noticed this and said, "Sirius I've changed." Sirius looked suspicious but nodded then turned to Draco. "He has changed as well Sirius."

Sirius looked to Harry for comformation and Harry said, "They really have changed. Draco is becoming a good friend. He's a great Uncle figure to Teddy as well, despite being cousins." he added to Remus and Dora who smiled at Draco.

Sirius sighed but wasn't as suspicious as before.

"I think you all remember me don't you?" McGonnogall said.

"Minnie." James and Sirius shouted.

"It's nice to see you again Professor." Lily said rolling her eyes at her husband and Sirius. Minerva smiled.

"And I'm Harry Potter, obviously. Oh and this little boy is Remus and Dora's son Teddy Lupin." Harry said finishing the introdutions.

"Well its nice to meet you all and see you all again." Lily said.

"Yes, definatley." Remus said smiling at everyone.

"Well why dont we have dinner." Molly said. Everyone agreed. Soon they all had a plate of food in front of them and were happily chatting. Teddy was fast asleep on Harry's shoulder.

"So everyone," Harry said when everyone had finished eating and were seated in the living room which had been expanded when the Burrow was being rebuilt after the war, "we can go through all my years at Hogwarts as I know hardly anyone here who knows everything we've been through. It's really only Ron, Hermione and myself that know everything. Professor can we borrow the pensive until everyone is caught up?" he asked McGonogall.

"Of course Harry and I've told you before as you are no longer my sudent you can call me Minerva." she replied with a smile, "And that goes for the rest of you as well." she added.

"Oh Harry." Aurthur said suddenly, "I forgot to mention, Kingsley gave everyone here who work's at the ministry as long as we need off." he said while Percy nodded.

"And we can shut the shop for as long as we need to." Fred and George said together after a whispered conversation.

"We don't have to go into work until the end of the month." Bill said pointing at his wife then himself.

"Okay we will start with my first year in the morning then. And your all welcome to join us. Minerva, you too. Andy and Cissy as well, Draco it's up to you but remember you will look like a prat." Harry warned, Draco shrugged.

"I know I was a prat and I have apologised for it but there are some things I'd like to find out if they were true or not." Draco said. "You never know what to believe when it goes through the Hogwarts rumour mill. There was quite a few about you three." he added.

"What's todays date by the way? And what year is it?" Lily asked. "Life never told us." she explained.

"It's the 3rd of August, 1998." Harry replied. The returnees nodded.

"Thank you." Regulus said.

Molly soon sent everyone to bed and the Malfoy's and Andy, taking Remus and Dora, carrying Teddy with them, left for thier respective homes. Lily, James, Sirius and Regulus were staying at the Burrow in the one of the new guest room's.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - First Year (Part 1)

4th, August, Wednesday, 1998.

The next morning after breakfast all nine Weasley's, the three Potters, Sirius, Regulus and Hermione were sitting in the living room at the Burrow, waiting on Remus, Dora, Andy, the Malfoy's and Minerva.

There was a knock on the door, Molly went to get it, when she came back Remus, Dora (Carrying Teddy who was asleep in her arms), Andy and the two Malfoy's were behind her.

"Hey Cissy?" Sirius asked. "What happened to Lucius?"

"He received a lifetime sentance in Azkaban." she replied. "Not that it matters to me I'm divorcing him and going back to my maiden name." she explained.

"And I'm changing my name to Black as well." Draco added, "he may be my father but I don't want anything to do with him. Not after he practically ruined my life by forcing me to be on the Dark Side of the war."

Sirius looked shocked but nodded.

The Floo lit up after a minute of silence and Minerva stepped through holding the pensive.

"Hello everyone. Am I the last to arrive? Sorry if I'm late Albus's portrait and Severus's portrait were having a debate and I got dragged into it." she said.

"It's okay Minerva the others had just arrived anyway," Harry reassured her, "Let's start then shall we?"

Everyone nodded and Harry took the pensive from Minerva setting it on a table and putting the first few memories of his first year in it. After he was done he asked Minerva if there was a charm that would allow them all to see it (without having to stick their heads in) and to allow people to hear his thought's, there was and Minerva cast a spell that made a screen appear above the pensive and another one for the thoughts. Harry then turned to the rest of the room.

"For those of you who don't know I grew up with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon." he said.

"WHAT!" James and Lily shouted shocked.

James rounded on Sirius "And where were you." he demanded.

"In Azkaban." Sirius winced.

"What? Why?" Lily asked as Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder in support.

"I was framed for your death's and the deaths of 13 people when it was the traitor. I didn't get a trial." Sirius said resentfully.

"How long?" James demanded.

"12 years Prong's. He escaped in Harry's third year." Remus answered for Sirius.

James and Lily were shocked then they got up and went to hug Sirius.

"Oh Padfoot I'm so sorry. We should have told Dumbledore about the swap." James said thickly.

"S'okay, we didnt know Peter was the traitor." Sirius said back.

"You were sent to Azkaban?" Regulus asked, "Your meant to be the good one out of the two of us, the one that didn't land in prison." he shook his head and fell silent.

When they returned to their seats Harry said, "Lets start then shall we," everyone nodded, "by the way I lived in a cubbord for 10 years."

"WHAT! How could Petunia do that! Especialy to a child." Lily shouted while many in the room growled.

"You never told us that!" Molly exclaimed.

"It never came up." Harry defended himself.

"We had to coax it out of him." Ron added.

"So even if you asked he would've denied it." Hermione huffed.

"We will start with my cousin Dudley's birthday." Harry said calmly. He then flicked his wand and the first memory started.

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled on his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"You remembered that Harry?" Minerva asked quietly, looking faintly shocked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I just didn't know it was real before."

"What was real?" James asked confused.

"I gave Hagrid my motorbike the night you were killed to get Harry to his Aunt's, I knew I was going to be arrested and that I wouldn't be needing it anymore." Sirius said, "I'm guessing you remember some of the journey Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Bits of the journey."

"Wait what happened?" Regulus asked and Harry quickly explained what happened the night his parents died. "Oh that's better thank you. I was kind of lost." he admitted, "But I understand now."

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I wan't everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"Duddy?" Sirius asked through laughter.

"My cousin Dudley." Harry snickered.

"Wait a minute, they made you cook?" Molly asked.

"Yes, since I tuned 5 they made me cook for them," Harry admitted, "I used to get in trouble if anything got burned and if I burned myself they didn't care."

"I am going to KILL PETUNIA!" Lily shouted.

"Don't bother Mum it's all in the past now and I never have to go back." Harry soothed.

"He's right Lily I'm mad too but there's not much we can do about the past." James said softly.

"We're skipping a little by the way. I just wanted to show you where I slept. We're skipping to my first time to the zoo, they usualy left me with Mrs. Figg when they went out but she broke her leg." Harry added so no-one was confused. "Oh and Dudley's friend Piers was there too."

**It was a very sunny saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't that bad, either, Harry thought, licking at it as they watched a gorilla scratching it's head who looked remarkably like Dudley, exept it wasn't blonde.**

This set most of the room into laughter especially the Marauders and the twins.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime wouldn't fall back on thier favourite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Uh oh," George started.

"That dosn't sound good." Fred finished.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonus cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons.**

**Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. ****Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered.**

"Was Dudley always like that Harry?" Ron asked, Harry nodded, "I feel sorry for you having to put up with him."

**Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long.**

**It was worse than having a cupboard for a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up **

"I'm not so sure Harry, it seems pretty even," commented Sirius.

**- at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"That's true... but is that really a good thing?" Dora asked.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were level with Harry's. It winked.**

"I may not know much about snakes, but I'm pretty sure they don't do that," said James.

"No, Prongs, they don't." Remus said, "They don't have eyelids."

"It may have been a magical snake." Ginny pointed out, "Some of them do actually have eyelids."

"I suspect it was." Harry nodded, "Considering it's actions I'm surprised I didn't suspect magic. I didn't even know I was a wizard at that time."

"You weren't told?" Arthur asked curiously.

Harry shook his head, "Not until I first met Hagrid."

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"Your a Parselmouth?" James asked shocked.

"Yes. I am." was what Harry said, but it came out as a series of hissing.

"There's your proof." Ginny smiled, "Harry you just spoke it."

"Oop's." he said determindly looking away from the memory-snake. "I cant control it, if I see a snake it happens automatically half the time." he explained.

"Kind of creepy. But how are you a Parselmouth? It dosn't run in the family as far as I know." James frowned.

"Some of Voldemort's powers transferred to me when the Killing Curse rebounded." he told them, "One of those powers was Parseltounge." he shrugged.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. Boa Constrictor, Brazil. "Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"Um... Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah Gin?"

"Are you actualy talking to a snake about Brazil?"

"I suppose so." he smirked.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could.**

"So it must've been about a day." the twins laughed.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

Everybody growled. Ginny's was the most impressive as she was a Lycan, even more impressive than Remus's and he was a Werewolf.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What did you do?" Draco asked eagerly, "What? He's a bigger git than I was." he added defensivley when he got odd looks from most in the room.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Awesome!" yelled the twins while everyone else laughed.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor - people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

Everyone laughed again as Harry said, "We're skipping a bit again until I finaly got my Hogwarts letter. Let's just say my Uncle and Aunt tried to out run the letters but Hagrid finaly appeared and gave me one. Oh and they gave me my own room after the first one came adressed to 'The cubbord under the stairs'."

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared. It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

"Learn to not get what you want, you spoiled child!" said Molly.

"He learned eventually." Harry chuckled, "Last time I heard him whine for something was just before my 15th birthday."

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"How nice. They wouldn't give their own kid that crap, so why Harry?" asked James.

"Because they didn't like me and the feeling was mutual." Harry shrugged.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"That's not good." Draco commented, thinking about how his father used to smile like that and shuddering.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"I wonder what it is." Fluer said.

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out to sea.**

**Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine.**

**One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

"Nutter. It'll be freezing in that shack!" Andy said outraged.

"Yeah. And it still won't stop the letters. Minnie always knows!" James announced making Minerva smile slightly.

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces.**

They all shivered. Sirius harder than everyone else as this reminded him of Azkaban.

**After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls and the fire-place was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a packet of crisps each and four bananas.**

"Some rations. You'd think a fat man would bring more food!" Lily said.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp packets just smoked and shrivelled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Git." James said.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post.**

"Wrong." sang the Marauders.

**Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows.**

**Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.**

**She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could find and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

"That damn woman!" James cursed.

"I hate her." Lily said decisively.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger.**

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight.**

**The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all,**

"Probably not." Hermione said sadly.

**wondering where the letter-writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although it might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that and (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty seconds... ten - nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"You know that would be funny. But you'd probably get in trouble for it mate." Ron commented getting a nod from Harry.

"I didn't need to anyway. Watch what happens." he grinned.

**three - two - one - BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Don't worry it's Hagrid." Harry reassured everyone as they suddenly looked worried.

**BOOM!**

"He's quite loud isn't he?" Bill asked when Ginny, Harry and Remus winced at the loud noise, with thier sensitive hearing it was louder.

"Of course he is Bill." Charlie said, "You guys okay?" he added to the three that winced. They nodded.

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

**"Where's the canon?" he said stupidly.**

"I feel sorry for you Harry," Percy said sympathetically, "having to grow up with that idiot."

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands.**

"He had a GUN! In a house with two young children," Minerva said outraged, "he's an imbicele. What if the boys had found it!?"

All the women nodded, Harry just smiled at the over-protective women around him but wisely said nothing.

**Now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then - SMASH!**

Harry, Ginny and Remus winced again.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway.**

**His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make a cup o' tea could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"Or maybe he really froze." said James hopefully getting appreciative chuckles from many in the room.

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

They all snickered.

"Hagrid's just met Dudley and he already doesn't like him." said Lily cheerfully.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,**

"Like he'd fit there," snorted the twins.

**who was crouching, terrified behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Oh, that'd probably work better." James and Sirius said together.

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

"You know that was kinda odd," Harry commented, "I didn't know who he was but he knew me. I'm a little used to it now what with the fame but it's still uncomfortable when people stare at my scar." he explained to everyone who was confused.

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."**

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant.**

"GO HAGRID!" shouted the twins and Marauders.

**He reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"Serves you right," Andy said. "stupid man."

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point,"**

They all laughed.

**"but it'll taste all right."**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth,**

"Hagrid has that effect on people." Sirius mused.

"Yeah I was shocked the first time I saw him." Regulus added.

**and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Hagrid really should have intoduced himself before you had to ask Harry." Minerva said. Harry shrugged.

"He hadn't seen me since I was a year old." he said in his oldest friend's defence.

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

"I remember when he did that to me," James muttered, "my arm went numb."

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

They laughed at that.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packets in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire.**

"But Hagrid wasn't allowed to use magic away from Hogwarts." Minerva said shocked.

"He was allowed to use it to get to me." Harry explained.

**It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warm rush over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy packet of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a bottle of some amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

"Hagrid!" Lily said shocked, the other women looked shocked as well while the men grinned.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.**

**Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little.**

**Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Dudley wouldn't listen." Fred said remembering the incident with the ton-tongue toffee.

**The giant chuckled darkly. "Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don' worry."**

"Got that right." George snickered.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry, he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant.**

"He is somewhat of an odd sight, isn't he?" Bill asked getting nod's from most in the room.

**Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

Harry shook his head, "Nope the Dursley's never told me anything."

Minerva looked shocked, "I told Albus not to leave you with them," she said frowning, "Is this how you found out about magic?" Harry nodded.

"Yeah Hagrid had to tell me everything even my own story." he admitted.

"If I had known that I would have come for you myself." she said, "Hagrid's not the best at explaining."

**"Er - no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked. "Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"It's them that should be sorry, Harry!" said Ginny firmly.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them tha' should be sorry!"**

Everyone nodded firmly.

**"I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

"Oh, I can't listen to this," said James dramatically.

**"ALL WHAT?"**

Remus, Harry and Ginny rubbed thier ears.

**Hagrid thundered. **

**"Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

Everyone, except Harry and Minerva as they had both seen Hagrid like this at close range before, looked shocked.

"That's quite scary." Hermione said with wide eyes.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy - knows nothing abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

**Harry thought this was going a bit far.**

**He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do maths and stuff."**

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"Remus, Ginny cover your ears." Harry said covering his own knowing what was coming next.

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

This time Teddy, who had been fast asleep through the rest of the noise, woke up and started crying until Harry went over to him and started making coloured hoops come out of his wand making his parents stare at him in shock.

"Harry?" James questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah Dad?"

"Do you know that I was doing that for you the night we were attacked by Voldemort?"

"Yeah Dad I can remember that night." Harry said softly. His parents looked at him sadly as everyone else looked shocked and confused. "Dementors." Harry added as an explanation clearing up the confusion. Sirius looked guilty and Remus looked understanding. "It wasn't your fault Sirius, you never told the dementors to guard the school when you escaped." he said so only Sirius could hear him. Sirius still looked guilty but nodded.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like 'Mimblewimble'**

"Wasn't that the password to Gryffindor tower in our sixth year?" Lily asked Remus.

"Yes it was." he replied looking amused.

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My - my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

"Nope." Harry said cheerfully, "I do now though." he added.

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"Bad timing." Cissy said.

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"Yeah, like that'll stop him." Minerva chuckled.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him?"**

"What letter?" Remus asked.

"Albus left a letter with Harry explaining what had happened." Minerva explained.

**"I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."**

"That was a shock." Harry laughed.

"I imagine it was," Hermione said, "I was shocked when Minerva told me." she smiled at the older witch who smiled back.

**There was a silence inside the hut.**

**Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. "I'm a what?"**

"A wizard," said James happily. Harry rolled his eyes.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin good'un I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc Chr. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress**

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks**

"Imagine that. Fireworks in someone's head!" said the twins with distant and dangerous looks on thier face's making Molly groan.

**and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"That's the question you chose?" asked Sirius disbelievingly. "Of all the stuff you could have asked... you ask about owls?" Harry shrugged.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled out an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

"Ah, so thats why Anon was in a huff all week." Minerva said making everyone snicker.

**a long quill and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note which Harry could read upside down**

"I can barely read his writing the right way around." James commented, looking impressed.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore**

**Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**Hagrid.**

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm. **

"That's nice." Dora said rolling her eyes and bouncing Teddy on her knee making him giggle.

"That reminds me, Teddy knows some words now." Andy said to her daughter and son-in-law.

"Really?" Remus asked, "He's only 6 months old isn't it a bit early for him to be talking."

"Not at all, Draco was only 6 and a half months old when he said his first word." Narcissa said smiling when Draco turned red.

"Remember Harry was only 6 months when he said his first word too." Lily added.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said, "What was it he said again?"

"Easy Padfoot it was 'Mooey' he couldn't say the letter 'n'." James reminded him.

Everyone laughed as Harry turned bright red.

"Anyway what words dose Teddy know?" Dora asked eagerly.

"He can say 'Unca Har', 'Unca Dray', 'Auny Ciss', 'Gramma', 'Bubble', 'Hungy' and a few others like 'Hello' and 'Bye'. He can also say 'Wet' meaning he needs a fresh nappy." Andy replied smiling.

As if on cue Teddy said, "Unca Har." and held his arms out Harry walked over and scooped him up making his godson squeel with delight.

"Teddy can you go to 'Mum'?" Harry asked the young child pointing at Dora.

Teddy frowned as if thinking then said "Mum." and reached for Dora again.

"Teddy," Dora said, "can you say 'Dad'?" she asked her son while pointing at Remus.

Teddy looked at Remus and cocked his head to the side. Remus smiled at him, he smiled back and said "Dada." then crawled onto his knee yawned and fell asleep again making everyone smile.

"Well that's two new words he can say now, even if he added the a onto Dad." Andy said happily, "He's coming along quite well with them, it probably wont be long until he can name everyone." she chuckled.

**Then he came back and sat down as though this was normal as talking on the telephone.**

"No," said Sirius. "It's more normal than that."

"Not to Muggles Sirius." Harry pointed out. Sirius shrugged.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted. "I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

"You tell them Hagrid!" the twins shouted very loudly, making Harry, Ginny and Remus wince. "Sorry." they said to the three looking guilty.

"We forgot about your sensitive hearing." Fred added, Ginny growled at her big brother.

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid. "It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Too right," Remus muttered. "I would have taken you in but the Ministry would never allow it because of my condition." he explained.

"It's alright Remus I understand." Harry told him. Remus nodded.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed!"**

"'Rubbish?' That's not rubbish!" yelled Lily indignantly. "You should've seen Petunia when I found out I was a witch! She was dying to be one too!"

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"**

"Of course she did! Her sister was one!" James said

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?"**

"Hey!" said both Lily and James.

**"Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that - that school - and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats."**

"She remembered that?" Lily said shocked.

"You did magic out of school?" James asked.

"Yeah. They allowed me to show my family how it works, show I'm not wasting my time and that it's not all a giant scam or anything."

"Seems fair," said Remus.

"I also turned all her clothes pink. Suited her. But she was mad!" Lily laughed. Everyone was shocked that she'd do something like that. "Don't give me that look! Judging by how she has treated my son, she deserves a lot worse! Besides, I changed them back to normal! Well... most of them." She grinned evilly.

**"I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!"**

"She started calling me that when I was leaving for Hogwarts for the first time." Lily said as the Marauders growled.

**"But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed like she had been wanting to say all this for years. "Then she met that Potter at school"**

"'That Potter' am I?" James said furiously.

**"and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be the same, just as strange, just as - as abnormal"**

"You're the damn abnormal ones! You're the freaks!" James said with venom in his voice.

"Prongs." Remus said warningly, Teddy still fast asleep on his knee, as Sirius said, "Calm down, Prongs."

**"- and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up"**

"She thinks we wanted that." Lily said sadly.

**"and we got landed with you!"**

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"NO WE DID NOT!" James and Lily bellowed at the same time.

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid,**

This made the three with sensitive hearing wince again.

**jumping so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter?"**

"Exactly! It couldn't!" Lily said.

**"It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

They all sighed, upset that 11 year old Harry didn't know the truth.

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. "I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin."**

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

"Voldemort." everyone said.

**"Who?"**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad."**

"Understatement of the century, but go on." said Harry making everyone chuckle.

**"As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

**"Nah - can't spell it."**

They allowed themselves to laugh a bit at that.

**"All right - Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... Terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of."**

"Yeah, that was true." Ron said, "But I think he was afraid of Harry as well."

"Yeah, but only because he saw me as a threat and a massive thorn in his side." Harry said.

**"Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew."**

James and Lily smiled, but it wasnt their normal smile's. It was much sadder.

**"Head Boy an' Girl at Hogwarts in their day. Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before..."**

"He did when we were in sixth year. We refused." James said. "Thats why he tried so hard to kill us."

**"probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -"**

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with the sound of a foghorn. "Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find"**

James and Lily smiled sadly again.

**"anyway - You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts"**

"They were my little brothers," Molly said sadly, "Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They were troublemakers just like Fred and George." the twins looked at each other then got up, crossed the room and hugged thier mother.

"So we live up to our middle names?" Fred inquired as he and George sat down again.

"More than double." Arthur nodded, "Your uncles were two of the most fun loving people you could ever meet. But you two have always been twice as bad."

"They didnt pull pranks or anything but they always found something to joke about, even if it was bad news they could always cheer everyone up." Molly smiled.

"And keep everyone amused when things got boring." James grinned, "Fabian used to play the Guitar with Frank Longbottom at Order meetings, Gideon would play the flute."

"And you and Sirius would jump about like idiots with the kids." Remus smirked.

"We got you to do it too sometimes." Sirius pointed out. "Mainly when it was close to the full moon and your inner troublemaker wanted to be free."

"True enough." Remus shrugged, "It wasnt just you two trying to get me to take part though." he added before looking at Harry, "You were very insistent that I didn't sit down at all when the music was on." he mock-huffed.

Harry grinned, "You must've been lazy then." he teased.

**"- an' you was only a baby an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on inside Harry's mind.**

**As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life - a high, cold, cruel, laugh.**

"That's Voldemort Isn't it Harry?" Bill asked, Harry nodded and gave a small smile but his eyes were slightly haunted.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yer from the ruined House myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon.**

**Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now you listen here, boy," he snarled. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured"**

"They didn't touch me!" Harry said loudly as everyone made noises of rage, that seemed to calm them down, but only just.

**"and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion asked for all they got, getting mixed up with all these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end - "**

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt up from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. **

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley - I'm warning you - one more word..."**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"Spear him on the umbrella!" the Weasley boys and the Marauders shouted.

**"That's better," said Hagrid breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol - sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go? Some say he died."**

"Did he?" Lily asked.

"Nope." Sirius said popping the 'p'.

**"Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?**

"They used that as a punishment." Harry explained, "For the incident at the zoo I was locked in the cubbord for a week with no meals."

"Did they do that often?" Molly asked making Harry nod, "Oh, no wonder you were always so skinny when you came to us during the summer."

"They didn't after I knew the truth, I got my own room and they stopped using the cubbord threat compleatly." he shrugged.

"And started locking you in your room instead." Ron muttered.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. "Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you were scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach...**

"I ended up on the school roof." Harry explained.

"You apperated?" Charlie asked shocked, Harry shrugged.

"It didn't feel like it." he said, "I think it was just some kind of accidental magic." everyone nodded, thinking that was probably true.

**dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back...**

"Well, no one can beat the Potter hair." James mused while Harry nodded grinning.

**And the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. "See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. "Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled -"**

"Ginny, Remus cover your ears again." Harry warned covering his own.

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head.**

**"NEVER -" he thundered, "- INSULT - ALBUS - DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!"**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley.**

**There was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain.**

**When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

Everyone burst out laughing even Minerva, who was trying to look dissaproving, smiled. When at last they sobered up, which took at least 20 minutes, the memory continued.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig"**

Renewed laughter filled the room, but more controlled this time.

**"but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job -"**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

**"Why were you expelled?"**

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. "You can kip under that," he said. "Don't' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Ew!" said Lily as most of the women wrinkled thier noses.

"I think we should have a break." Harry suggested.

"Good idea dear, we can have a spot of lunch." Molly said. Everyone nodded and went into the kitchen for lunch.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Shadow and Misty.

4th, August, 1998.

After lunch everyone went outside for some fresh air.

"Hey Gin?" Harry asked his girlfriend once everyone had sat down in a circle on conjured chairs.

"Yes Harry?" she replied.

"You know when Death made us Lycans what did you feel? I felt as though there was fire running through my veins then it turned to ice then fire again before going back to normal." he explained.

"Hmm... I got similar, I got fire then ice but I never had fire again." she said.

"Hmm, must be the change to your bodies." Hermione commented, they nodded thinking she was probably right.

"Why don't you try out your form's and see what it feel's like to change." Minerva commented. "If it's supposed to be like the animagius transformation just concentrate on changing into your form."

They did and within a minuite two beautiful wolves were standing where Harry and Ginny were.

"Oh my." Andy said as those who hadn't seen them in wolf form before looked shocked.

"You two are even bigger than Moony is." Sirius said, making James nod and Remus glare at him.

The black wolf, Harry, made an odd noise that would equal to a snort he then looked at the dark red wolf that was Ginny and nudged her with his shoulder.

Ginny huffed and nudged him back. Most of the people around the circle looked amused. Harry then took a few unsteady steps forward and fell landing on his side, giving out a startled yelp of surprise.

"You'll get used to it trust me." said Sirius going over to Harry and ruffling his ears. Harry nodded and took a few more unsteady steps forwards and fell again.

This time it was Ginny who made a sound suspiciously like a snort.

Harry changed back, "You try walking on four legs then." he said moodily. Ginny did and only stumbled once before she got more confident and walked a bit more steadily. Harry went back to wolf form and tried again, this time he didn't fall, but he still stumbled a few times.

"It can be a little tricky on four legs I remember when Padfoot did his change the first time I think it took him almost two days to stop falling over every seccond step." Remus chuckled, Sirius glared at him.

"He's right Paddy, but remember it took me a week to be steady on four legs because of the hooves." James reminded his friend.

Sirius sighed and nodded dejectedly, "I know but it was tricky, especialy on the wooden floor in the dorm, it was slippy." he said.

"If it helps I was like that for a few hours after I completed the tranformation." Minerva said. "It took me a while to get used to being a cat." she admitted just as the two wolves got their footing and started running around the circle making everyone smile, "Looks like they've got it then."

The two wolves stopped suddenly and looked at each other then changed back.

"Ginny did I just hear your voice inside my head?" Harry asked.

"I think so, I think I heard you too." she replied. "Hold on." she frowned. _Can you hear me?_ she thought towards Harry. Harry jumped and nodded.

"Yes I can hear you Gin, must be part of the virus." Harry mused.

"It might be something to do with the soul bond Death mentioned." Hermione pointed out. "I'll look it up later for you." they nodded.

At that point Teddy woke up full of energy from his morning nap, and said, "Unca Har?" making Harry go over to him.

"What is it Teddy?" he asked.

"Wet." his Godson announced.

"Do you want me to change you or Gramma?" he asked the little boy.

Teddy pointed at Harry so he picked him up and got the changing bag from Andy.

"I'll be back in a minuite." Harry told the others heading towards the house.

"See Sirius your Godson isn't afraid to change his Godson's nappies." Remus said snickering. "You were terrified to change Harry's when he was a baby." this made Sirius go red as everyone laughed.

"I'd forgotten that. He used to hide under the bed as Padfoot or pass him off to one of us." James added smirking at a very red Sirius.

Sirius mumbled something in-audiable.

"What was that Sirius?" Lily asked curiously.

"I said I don't know how to change nappies and I didn't want to hurt him." Sirius said, his face still bright red with embarrasment.

"You should have said something you idiot I would have shown you how to do it." Lily said frowning.

"I didn't want you to think I was stupid," he admitted.

"I wouldn't think you were stupid Sirius, after all I had to show James how to do it as well." her last comment made James nod.

"Yeah Paddy, I didn't know how to do anything really when Harry was first born, dont you remember what I said when Lily was eight months pregnant and we went to Diagon Alley, in disguise, for baby stuff?" James said. "I said I didn't have a clue how to take care of babies."

"Oh yeah, now I feel like an idiot." he replied making everyone chuckle again.

"I don't know what your laughing at you lot," Lily said to the Weasley boys, who had kept snickering, "It was Molly who showed me how to do it in the first place." that shut the boys up, except Bill, Charlie and Percy who were old enough to remember, they just laughed harder.

"At least with the twin's and Ron you mean?" Bill asked.

"Yes. Ginny hadn't been born at the time." Molly smiled.

Harry returned with Teddy, who had a stuffed wolf in his hands and was making it growl at Harry.

"All done." Harry said conjuring a blanket and stitting Teddy down on it where the little boy started playing with his wolf, he also brought out some other toys and put them on the blanket. "He should be happy for now." he added to Remus and Dora who smiled back at him.

"We definatly made the right coice when we picked you for Godfather, Harry." Dora said while Remus nodded. Harry smiled at them.

"Hey Harry, Ginny?" Ron asked from his seat.

"Yeah?" they replied together.

"Why dont you two pick names for your wolf froms? It will get boring just saying 'wolf form' all the time." he suggested they nodded and fell silent in thought.

"Hmm, I like 'Shadow', what about you guys?" Harry said after a minute.

"It definatly suits you." Charlie commented.

"Yeah. Definatly." the twins said together while the rest of the Weasley's nodded as did the Lupin's, Malfoy's and Black's.

"Wow. That was quicker than we were it took us a week to decide to call Sirius 'Padfoot' and two weeks to call James 'Prongs'." Remus commented, "I got 'Moony' two days after the others found out about..." he trailed off.

"... Your 'Furry Little Problem'." James finished.

"Yes. That."

"You know I had always wondered where that came from, the rumour was that you had a badly behaved rabbit at home." Cissy said with sudden understanding in her eyes.

"I knew it was probably one of you who had come up with that," Minerva muttered to everyones surprise, "even the staff heard that one," she chuckled, "It confused some of them to no end." the Marauders snickered at this.

"I thought all the staff knew about me?" Remus asked.

"No. It was only Albus, Poppy, Fillius, Pomona, Horace and myself who knew." Minerva admitted, "And the DADA teacher's that could be trusted."

"Like Andrew's?" James suggested. Minerva nodded.

"I never knew that. Surley some of them guessed?" Remus asked.

"I think they came to their own conclusions but they never voiced them." Minerva shrugged.

"I think I'll call my form 'Misty'." Ginny finally said after a short silence.

"That's a good one Gin." Harry told her giving her a one armed hug as everyone else nodded thier agreements.

"Right, now that's settled, shall we get back to the memories then?" Harry asked and everyone nodded and vanished thier chairs before heading inside, Remus picking up his son and Harry getting the toys before vanishing the blanket and going inside.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - First Year (Part 1.5)

4th, August, 1998.

Once everyone was seated in the living room again (Teddy in a magical playpen that alerted someone when something was wrong) Harry went over to the pensive and added the next few memories.

"We will start with the first time I went to Diagon Alley." he said.

**Harry woke early the next morning.**

**Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. It was a dream, he told himself firmly. I dreamt a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards.**

"It is kind of hard to believe magic exists when you first find out about it." Lily said, Hermione nodded her agreement.

**When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard.**

"Damn Dursleys," muttered James.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still hadn't opened his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him.**

**The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa**

"So it collapsed," Sirius said cheerfully.

**and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered to the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that."**

"I didn't know it wanted money." Harry said defensivley when everyone looked at him amusedly.

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl -"**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

"You will never find it." the twins groaned, "Hagrid has tons of pockets."

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets**

"See?" George said.

**- bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, mint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

"You found it. Good for you." said Fred.

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

**Knuts.**

"How are you supposed to know what Knuts are?" asked James.

**"The little bronze ones."**

"That's better," said James.

**Harry counted five little bronze coins and the owl held out its leg so he could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then it flew out through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up and stretched. "Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something which made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money -"**

"Don't insult us, Harry," said James. "We left you some."

"The Potter's are the richest family in magical Britain." Sirius said pointedly.

"Yup. The seccond richest are the Black's." Regulus added

"Then there's the Malfoy's," Sirius made a face as he said it, "The Zabini's, the Lestranges are pretty well off as well. There's also the Crouch's then the Dumbledore's. That's about it. My damned Mother made Reg and I learn all about The Ancient most Noble house of Black and other great wizarding families." he explained.

**"- and you heard Uncle Vernon last night - he won't pay for me to go to learn magic."**

"Of course not. He's a big fat git!" Draco said.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'ye think year parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

"Even if we didn't - which we did - Hogwarts lends money," said Lily.

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

"What crazy people would keep money in their home?" asked Sirius.

"Some Muggles do that." Hermione pointed out, "Although most use their bank's."

**"They didn't keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold"**

"Way to change the topic." Sirius snorted.

**"an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that."**

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks and quickly looked down to hide their smiles.

**"Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you - gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see. Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out on to the rock.**

**The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh"**

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

"It is difficult to believe he flew." Dora said.

"He had one of the Thestral pulled carriges." Minerva smiled, "The Thestral's returned when they dropped him off."

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat and they sped off towards land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

This time Harry avoided eye contact with Hermione and Ron, for fear of bursting out laughing.

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there are dragons guardin' the high security vaults."**

"There are," said James. "I saw them on the way to the Potter family vault."

**"And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Skipping to when I was getting my robes." Harry said with a glance at Draco. "Please don't hex Draco he's a prat through all our school days and is very sorry for that aren't you?" Draco nodded. "Oh and Hagrid emptied a vault with a small mysterious package." here he winked at Minerva when no-one was looking she had a look of understanding in her eyes.

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? Hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.**

"Thats you then?" James asked Draco. He nodded.

**Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hullo," said the boy, "Hogwarts too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice.**

**"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on. "No," said Harry. "Play Quidditch at all?" "No," said Harry again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"Do you like it now?" James asked exitedly.

"Wait and see." Harry replied mysteriously, "No one say anything, please." James pouted while Sirius snickered. "I will tell you I love flying though." James cheered up a bit.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"Sorry I didn't realise you actually didn't know what I was talking about." Draco apologised. "And I didn't know who you were either."

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been -"**

"So was all of my family, but I'm a Gryffindor, and damn proud of it!" Sirius declared.

**"imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding towards the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice-creams to show he couldn't come in.**

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking this boy less and less every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage"**

"He is not!" everyone (Exept Cissy and Draco) cried.

"Sorry. I know he's not now, I had only heard my father's stories before Hogwarts." Draco said getting an understanding look from Sirius.

"Yeah, I was like that in first year I only had my parents stories but I was willing to bet that not all of them were true." Sirius explained, "Like all werewolves were totaly evil, but Remus isn't so I stopped listening to my parents stories."

**"lives in a hut in the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk,"**

"Hagrid really needs to stop drinking as much." Minerva said, "It sets a bad example for the students."

"Maybe but it's fun if your with him when he's drunk, even better if your drunk too." James smirked at Sirius.

"Dont even think about it." Sirius growled.

"But Paddy, it's not our fault you ended up dancing about the grounds in your undies instead of going back to the castle after having a dirnk with Hagrid." Remus said innocently, "Or our fault you woke up on Hagrid's roof." he added.

Sirius groaned as the others laughed.

"When was that?" Dora asked curiously.

"Their 7th year." Minerva supplied, "Gave the staff a few laughs that story." she chuckled.

"You knew about it?" Lily asked.

"I did. Hagrid told me accidentally." she nodded.

"How come we didnt get in trouble then?" James asked.

"You were all 17, all adults, I couldnt exactly stop you. Plus Remus and Sirius suffered with the hangovers the next day anyway." she mused. "I am curious as to how you never had one James."

"I wasnt drinking." he shrugged, "Well I had a few firewhiskeys but I didnt drink too much."

"You decided to be boring." Sirius snorted.

"Better than waking up on Hagrid's roof in my boxers." he smirked, "And I had to patrol the halls the next night."

"And I wouldnt have been at all happy if you were hungover." Lily smiled, "It would've been bad for you."

"I'm aware. You were very irratated with me for letting those two get smashed anyway." he muttered.

"Still glad you got the pictures though." she shrugged.

"What pictures?" Remus frowned.

"Oh I had a camera with me so I decided to take a few of you two being idiots." James shrugged, "Like Paddy hugging a tree thinking it was Peter or you attempting to climb the rocks in the clearing not too far in to the forrest."

Sirius and Remus shared looks while everyone else laughed.

"Fine, if that's the way it is we'll just not tell you about the one's we've got of you on your stag night." Sirius smirked.

James looked alarmed, "You what!"

"Nothing Prongs." Remus smiled evily, "Just a little payback for doing it to us."

James groaned.

"Let's continue before these three start arguing." Lily suggested, the Maruaders fell silent and they all turned back to the memory.

**"tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

"He actually did do that once." Minerva chuckled. "/it was an accident though."

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

"Atta boy, Harry!" Bill and Charlie cheered.

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

"You don't know who you're talking to do you?" asked Sirius. Draco shook his head.

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

"Nice answer." James grinned. Harry grinned back.

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

**Before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

"Unfortunately." said Ron in an undertone to Harry who snorted.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote.**

**When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

"That made me feel worse." Harry commented.

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's. "and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in -"**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin yer name if his parents were wizardin' folk - you saw 'em in the Leaky Cauldron. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look at what she had fer a sister!"**

"Exactly!" James said.

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

"Only the best sport in the world!" all the quidditch fans said (exept Harry who didn't want to give anything away to his Dad's earlier question).

**"It's our sport, wizard sport. It's like - like football in the Muggle world -"**

"Football?" the twins asked.

"Like Hagrid said, it's like Quidditch, but played on the ground with only one ball, using your feet to kick it around. And no bats." Lily explained.

"But what's fun about that?" asked Ron, genuinely confused.

"It is quite fun." Regulus commented, "Sirius and I used to sneak out from time to time and there were these muggle boys who taught us how to play it." he added at the confused looks, "It would be better if you could fly though." he shrugged.

**"everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"That's not even close to the full rules." James groaned.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There are four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

"Hufflepuffs aren't that bad!" Dora said, "I was a Hufflepuff and so was my Dad."

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol - sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

"Unfortunately." Minerva sighed, "I was at school with him, just few years up from him." she explained getting shocked looks from everyone else in the room. "So was Hagrid, he was in his 3rd year when Voldemort was in 5th. I was in 7th by that time." she added.

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.**

**Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more)**

"AWESOME!" James and Sirius cried simultaneously.

**by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"Good idea!" Sirius exclaimed.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

"Unfortunately he has a point." Remus sighed.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of brass scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the apothecary's, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages.**

**Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor, jars of herbs, dried roots and bright powders lined the walls, bundles of feathers, strings of fangs and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery black beetle eyes (five knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the apothecary's, Hagrid checked Harry's list again. "Just yer wand left - oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

James and Lily grinned.

**Harry felt himself go red. "You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer an animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at"**

"Well, thank God I didn't buy a toad like Mum wanted me to!" said Dora.

"You would probably lose it anyway." Andy said, "Either that or it would get squashed with your clumsyness." Dora went pink as a few of the others chuckled.

**"- an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer post an' everythin"**

"So it was Hagrid that got you Hedwig?" Ginny asked Harry who nodded, smiling sadly at the memory of Hedwig.

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell**

"Snowy owls are the best." Cissy said making most people nod.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

"Definitely!" agreed James.

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"Took me ages to find my wand." James complained.

"Me too." Sirius muttered.

"I got mine first try." said Lily smugly.

"Mine took me three. 'Course I nearly brought the place down with the first one, so it took a while." added Dora.

"We almost did that too." George told her pointing to himself and Fred.

"I emptied a full shelf of boxes." Ginny added.

"Mine wasn't that bad." Remus said, laughing a bit. "Though I did make a vase explode."

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty for a single spindly chair which Hagrid sat on to wait.**

"Didn't it break?" Sirius asked.

**Harry felt strangely as though he'd entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions which had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"That will be the amount of power that's in the shop." James said wisley.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

They all chuckled.

"There it is." said Sirius.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand."**

"Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow," said Lily immediately.

**"Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

Lily grinned.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"Definatly." James agreed while others made noises of agreement or nodded.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand."**

"Eleven inches, pliable, better for Transfiguration," grinned James.

**"Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

They all shuddered.

**"And that's where..."**

"Yeah, it's perfectly fine to poke my head." Harry said sarcastically.

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. "I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

"Voldemort's?" Bill asked.

"Of course, who else would have made his wand?" Minerva said.

"Could've been Gregorovich." said Lily.

"Nah, he wouldn't have gone abroad to get a wand, and Olli is the best in Britain." replied James.

"It was Gregorovich who made my wand." Fluer said.

"I heard Voldemort was an orphan, and was really poor." said Dora.

"Really?" asked the twins.

"It's true." Harry said. "He was born and grew up in an orphanage after his mother died shortly after his birth and his father didnt care about him... There's more but it's better you find out through time."

**"Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... Well, if I'd known what that wand was going out in the world to do..."**

"He wouldn't have sold it." Percy said sadly.

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus, Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

They all grinned.

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see."**

**He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head.**

**As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns or dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"Really?" Lily said surprised "He never told me that."

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish)**

"I remember, I felt stupid when I did that." Lily said happily.

**waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander took it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"**

"Phoenix feather is the best." said James.

"They're all good." Lily said.

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised it when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

"It was annoying when he did that," said Dora.

**"No, no - here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers.**

"That's the one!" Lily squealed happily.

**He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on the walls.**

Sirius and James whooped, "Yeah! Gryffindor!" they cried together.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious..."**

"What's curious?" Dora asked.

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..."**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand."**

"How?" Sirius asked confused, everyone shrugged.

"Maybe he uses magic?" Lily guessed.

**"It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar."**

There was shocked silence.

"Voldemort has the brother wand?" Sirius asked finally, "Does that make a difference?" they all shrugged, exept Harry, who nodded.

"It made a huge difference. You see, because the wands recognise each other due to having the same pheonixes feathers, it meant they wouldnt kill the others owner. It provided another form of protection for me. As long as Voldemort used that wand and I used mine, he couldnt use it to kill me." Harry explained.

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late-afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawping at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the sleeping snowy owl on Harry's lap.**

**Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder. "Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them.**

**Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special,"**

"You are Harry!" Hermione and Ron said together, as Harry rolled his eyes at them.

**he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol - sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"You must have felt awful." Cissy said sympathetically, Harry nodded.

"I wouldn't be happy either," Lily said sadly "I'd rather have my parents and no fame." James pulled her into a hug.

**Hagrid leant across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts,"**

"Exactly!" Hermione and Lily said together, then smiled at each other.

**"you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys,**

"Shame you had to go back." Regulus said making Harry nod.

**then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yer soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"Were skipping to september first." Harry announced. "Also we will see how I met the Weasley family." he added smiling at the mentioned family. "The Dursley's dropped me off at the station, but I didn't know how to get onto the platform, Hagrid forgot to tell me." he explained.

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

"Least you have that much sense." Minerva said.

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose.**

**Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o' clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time-wasters.**

**Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money and a large owl. Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get his wand and start tapping the ticket box between platforms nine and ten.**

"No! Don't!" they all said quickly making Harry roll his eyes.

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying. "packed with Muggles, of course -"**

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

Fred, George, Percy and Ron smiled.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him - and they had an owl.**

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his trolley after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"It never changes. Why'd you ask?" Bill asked his Mother who shrugged.

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand. "Mum, can't I go..."**

"Awww, that's cute!" Lily cooed, while Ginny glared at Harry who cringed.

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched towards the platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it - but just as the boy reached the divide between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him, and by the time the last rucksack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went.**

Everyone burst out laughing.

"That was always your favourite joke." Molly commented, "I could never tell which of you I was talking to or shouting at."

"And we're working on a way to be able to do it again." Fred smirked.

"Yup." George nodded, "And we need to find a way to do it without chopping Fred's ear off." he added.

"I'm good with it if we do it." Fred shrugged, "We could be the holey twins." he grinned.

"I refuse to let you chop your ear off." George said stubbornly, "One of us that has trouble hearing on one side is enough."

"Dose it cause you problems?" Regulus frowned.

"Sometimes, I can still hear out of it but not too well." he shrugged, "It's like having water in your ears, more a murmer than anything else. I can still hear perfectly well on the other side."

"How'd it happen? If your allowed to tell us." James added.

"A Sectumsempra caught it." Harry supplied, "There's more but that's all your getting told right now." he smiled at their annoyed looks.

**His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it?**

**Now the third brother was walking briskly towards the ticket barrier - he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. There was nothing else for it.**

"Ask her!" shouted the Marauders.

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

**"Hullo, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose.**

"Not a very flattering description." Ron pointed out.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

**"How to get on to the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

"Thank you for helping me Mrs. Weasley." Harry said.

"It was no trouble at all dear." she replied smiling.

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

**"Er - OK," said Harry. He pushed his trolley round and stared at the barrier.**

**It looked very solid.**

**He started to walk towards it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten.**

**Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that ticket box and then he'd be in trouble leaning forward on his trolley he broke into a heavy run the barrier was coming nearer and nearer he wouldn't be able to stop - the trolley was out of control he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people.**

**A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.**

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs, owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his trolley off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

**"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**

"Is that Neville Longbottom?" Lily asked. Harry nodded.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

"Must be our friend, Lee Jordan." grinned the twins.

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

Ron shivered.

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk towards the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

"Ouch," Dora winced. "I did that. A lot." she added sheepishly. They all laughed, except Remus.

"Come on it's hard doing it on your own." Dora smiled gratefully at her husband.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the ticket box.**

**"Yes, please," Harry panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you -?"**

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Harry Potter," chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

They all started laughing.

**The two boys gawped at him and Harry felt himself going red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating through the train's open door.**

"Sorry Harry." the twins said.

"We didn't realise we were doing it." Fred added.

Harry shrugged. "It's fine. Hagrid already told me most kids grew up knowing my name and my stroy, it was just odd to have people know who I was because of a scar on my forehead. It was practically a name tag." he explained. "Still is actually."

**"Fred? George? Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mum."**

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half-hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

**"Mum - geroff." He wriggled free.**

They laughed.

**"Aaah has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes**

"Sounds like a prefect." Sirius commented wrinkling his nose.

"What's wrong with prefects?" Remus and Lily demanded. "Both of us were prefects!" Lily added.

"You two? Nothing, but some prefects are just..." he made a face.

"I was a prefect." Percy said, "And I was a bit of a prat about it." he admitted sheepishly.

"We were prefect's too." Hermione said pointing at herself then Ron and Draco.

"Yeah and I was a bigger prat about it than you Percy." Draco said, blushing. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.

**and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the Prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

**"Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once -"**

**"Or twice -"**

**"A minute -"**

**"All summer -"**

They all burst out laughing.

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

They laughed some more.

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a Prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

"Urgh. I hated it when Mum turned to me and Sirius." shuddered James.

"Treated you both like proper sons, then, if she told Sirius off." said Lily.

"Yeah, but I got away with more." said Sirius smirking.

"Yeah, that wasnt fair. Mum seemed to think it was me causing trouble and Sirius just helped." James muttered.

**"Now you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**

"Man, it was fun when we did that." James said reminiscently.

"That was back in third year, right?" asked Sirius.

"Yup." answered Remus.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

"Bet you will now she's mentioned it," Sirius said to the twins, "Bit of advice Molly. Never give pranksters ideas." Molly nodded.

"I had figured that out eventually." she admitted.

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."**

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

Ron glared at the twins while everyone else laughed.

**"Shut up," said Ron again.**

**He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

"Sure, tell everyone." Remus muttered.

**Harry leant back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

**"You know the black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Harry Potter!"**

**Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please..."**

"I think someone has a crush!" Sirius said as Ginny went bright red and glared at Harry.

"Sorry Gin. I forgot that was in there." he said weakly before changing into Shadow and going to hide behind his parents making everyone laugh again.

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

**"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone. I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get on to the platform."**

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

**Their mother suddenly became very stern. "I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered on to the train. They leant out of the window for her to kiss them goodbye and their youngest sister began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

James and Sirius laughed.

"That cheered me up a little bit." Ginny admitted smiling at her big brothers as Harry who was still Shadow went back over and curled up at Ginny's feet.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mum."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed; then she fell back and waved.**

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know where he was going to - but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red-headed boy came in.**

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."**

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

**"Hey, Ron." The twins were back** **"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Ron shuddered again.

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"Nice." Sirius snorted "Very polite."

"Sorry mate." Ron said sheepishly to Shadow who nodded his head.

**Harry nodded.**

**"Oh - well, I thought it might have been one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..."**

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

**Harry pulled back his fringe to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

**"So that's where You-Know-Who -?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"I told you not to ask," Molly scolded.

"You only told the twins not to ask." Ron defended himself making everyone chuckle.

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

"That's still way too much." James said quietly.

Shadow shrugged thinking they won't like his third year too much.

**"Wow," said Ron.**

**He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"This'll be interesting; you'll both want to know about each other's lives." said Remus making Ron and the wolf nod.

**"Er - yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"Because the man is horrible." Molly scowled, "He's a wizard though." she added, "Horrible man Artemius was, when Bill was born he suggested that Arthur and I were too young to have and we should just let him drown him." she spat.

"He got hexed and disowned for that." Arthur said, "We dont have to worry about him anymore Molly." he soothed.

"We should track him down so I can show him all the horrid curses I know." Bill growled. "Or drag him to Egypt and trap him in a pyramid."

"Artemius Prewett?" Dora asked, Molly nodded, "He's in Azkaban." she said, "I was with Kingsley on patrol in Knockturn Alley one day, when I was still in training, and he had a few illegal items on him so Kingsley and I arrested him on the spot. If I remember right he got a life sentance for having a dragons egg and a few illegal potion ingrediants."

"Good. Serves him right, no-one gets away with threatening our brother." Charlie stated. "And that applies to all of us."

"Sometimes to the point of being over-protective." Ginny muttered, "I agree with that though, no-one threatens a Weasley and get's away with it." she stated making her parents smile proudly while her brothers nodded.

**"So you must know loads of magic already."**

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

"Not quite the same." said Sirius.

"Definatly one of the nicer families." Draco agreed. "I'm ashamed at how I used to act." he admitted.

"You only knew your Father's stories though." Cissy pointed out, "Sure I told you some but you mainly listened to him."

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible - well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

"We were going to have more kids once you turned 2, Harry, but, quite obviously, we died." Lily said sadly.

"Yeah," James agreed, "we wanted to have one or two after you but as Lily said, we died."

**"Five," said Ron.**

**For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot,"**

The twins mock-bowed to the annoyance of Molly and Minerva and amusement of the others.

**"but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.**

Sirius, Remus, Harry, Ron and Hermione growled at the rat to the confusion of the others, they just shook thier heads at the questioning looks.

"It's explained later." Harry said.

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

**"and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort -"**

**Ron gasped.**

"Oooh, he said Voldemort." said Sirius dramatically.

"Yes, I do believe he did!" said James pretending to faint.

"Oh, the horror!" Sirius cried clutching his heart as if in pain.

Most pepole laughed.

"How I put up with these two for 11 years I'll never know." Lily muttered so that only Dora could hear her.

Dora chuckled a bit before saying, "I feel sorry for you but it's amusing, if a little annoying at times." Lily nodded grudgingly.

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry. "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

**"You won't be."**

"Thanks by the way, I needed to hear that." Harry said to Ron.

"No problem mate." he replied.

**"There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

They all looked at Lily and Hermione who both smiled.

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep.**

**They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"**

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.**

**He had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry but the woman didn't have any Mars Bars.**

**What she did have were BertieBott's Every-Flavor Beans,**

"Watch yourself with those! I once got liver once. And sprouts. Awful, those!" warned James.

"I've had a bogie flavoured one once." George said.

"Dumbledore told me he had a vomit flavoured one when he was younger, he's had earwax too." Harry added. "I was there with the earwax one."

"Bad luck for him." Minerva mused, "I must remember to ask his portrait about that later."

**Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron cakes, Liquorice wands and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts**

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches in there. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

"Sorry Ron." Molly said to her youngest son who just nodded in acceptance of the apology.

"It's ok Mum I understand that you were pretty busy making lunch for all of us." he tod his mother.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty.**

**"Go on -"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry**

"That's nice you Harry," commented Lily.

Shadow changed into Harry again and he grinned.

**who had never had anything to share before, or, indeed, anyone to share it with.**

**It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties and cakes (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa."**

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect - Famous Witches and Wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long crooked nose and flowing silver hair, beard and moustache.**

"Dumbledore!" Sirius cheered.

**Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron.**

**"Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks -"**

**Harry turned over his card and read:**

**Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts.**

**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel**

"Who?" Bill asked.

"You will find out." Hermione said, "We had to look him up at one point." she explained.

**Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared**

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do want it? You can start collecting." Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"**

"I thought it was weird when photos moved." Harry chuckled.

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back in the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them.**

**Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes from the druidess Clidona, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans.**

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe."**

**"George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once."**

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully and bit into a corner. "Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."**

"I've had that," said James. "I know what you mean." he added sympathetically.

**They had a good time eating the Every-Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny grey one Ron wouldn't touch,**

"Isn't that just pepper?" asked Sirius.

**which turned out to be pepper**

"Yeah, I've had that one," said Sirius.

"Yeah wasn't that the one Lucius made you eat when you were 6?" Cissy asked.

"Yup but Remus tricked me into eating one in our fourth year too." he replied glaring at the werewolf, who smirked.

**The countryside now flying past the window was looking wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Harry.**

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..." He left.**

"That was Neville Longbottom." Remus told James and Lily who nodded.

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could."**

**"Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting,"**

**"but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hairs nearly poking out. Anyway -"**

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toad less boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said.**

"And thats the first time we met Hermione, by the way we didn't like each other at first." Harry said.

**She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.**

"Flattering." Hermione said rolling her eyes.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er - all right." He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daises, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened.**

**Scabbers stayed grey and fast asleep.**

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course,"**

"Merlin I was annoying." Hermione moaned, going pink.

**"I mean, it's the best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough -"**

They all (Exept Ron and Harry) looked shocked.

"Did you really?" Charlie asked Hermione, she nodded "Wow."

"I don't think any of us could do that if we tried." Bill added making Hermione blush and the others nod.

"I remember all of the tranfiguration textbooks but that's because it's always the same books for each year I never change them as the books I set are usually the best for theory I just show students the wand movements and tell them the incantations as it's hard to learn them from a book." Minerva told them.

"Any subject is hard just to learn from a book." Harry pointed out, "Exept maybe history." he shrugged, "Most students couldnt listen to Binn's for more than a minute, I know the Ravenclaws just studied from the book."

"You and Ron just used my notes." Hermione huffed, "You didnt even attempt to listen."

"If we did we'd fall asleep." Ron muttered, "That ghost is just too boring."

**"I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all this very fast.**

**Harry looked at Ron and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learnt all the set books off by heart either.**

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Harry Potter," said Harry.**

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

"Is it a bad thing that I didn't know I was in a book? In fact it dosn't matter, those books were mostly guesses about what happened the night Voldemort dissapeared and what happened after it." Harry said.

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, It sounds by far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one,"**

"Yeah, he was," said Sirius.

"How d'you find out?" the twins asked. "We found out one day we were in trouble it was involved in the speech he gave us." George explained.

"The Marauders have mysterious ways," said Sirius mysteriously.

"We just asked him," said Remus.

Lily snorted, "So much for your 'Mysterious ways'."

**"but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toad less boy with her.**

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

Hermione and Molly glared at Ron and he cringed and moved closer to Harry.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

"Probably, I would've done the same thing"

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

**"That's the house Vol - I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers's whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now they've left, anyway?" Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons"**

"I was. I'm now at the reserve in Ireland, half of thier dragon keepers were killed in the war so I've been relocated." Charlie said. "Closer to home too."

**"and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.**

"I was checking out an old temple." Bill smiled, "You should've seen all the cool drawings on it's walls, dated right back to the founders days I think."

**"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high-security vault."**

**Harry stared. "Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying 'Voldemort' without worrying.**

"Fear of a name, only increases fear of the thing itself." Remus said nodding.

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he'd had the money.**

**He was just taking Harry through the finer point of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toad less boy or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered and Harry recognized the middle one at once:**

**It was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.**

They all groaned. Including Draco himself.

**He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

"Fair warning, I'm an even bigger prat this time." Draco said.

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing either side of the pale boy they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking.**

"Just as bad and thick as Dudley if they're anything like their fathers." scoffed Sirius, and the others nodded.

"They were." Draco confirmed, "But I'd known them for years and they listened to me unlike the others."

"Others?" Lily asked.

"Other kids from the, mostly dark, pureblood families." Cissy clarified, "We used to hold them so the kids had more experiance with the people apart from their tutors and family members."

"Yeah, going from alone with only occassional contact with people to 6 hours a day of tutoring was hard enough." Regulus muttered, "Hogwarts is a bigger leap than that so for about two years before going there were constant social gatherings and visits so the younger kids get to develop better social skills."

"It was quite a difficult leap." Sirius nodded, "I was still a little overwhelmed by all the people on the platform and in the Great Hall when I first arrived." he admitted.

"You hid it well enough." Cissy mused.

"The 'mask' came in handy." he grinned, "So glad I learned how to do it."

"What mask?" Hermione asked.

"The one all traditionally dark families teach their kids." James supplied, "My Mum taught me when I was younger, basically it keeps your face blank. Usually people figure it out on their own." he added shrugging.

"And usually dont bother using it often." Andy said, "I only used it around the older members of the family."

"That's what we all did." Sirius snorted, "Most kids from familys that do that just forget about all the things their parents tell them before Hogwarts."

"And act like the rest of the kids and teenagers." Draco added, "The majority of my year had strict orders from their parents to not act like kids. Like no rivalries, no dueling, no having fun unless it's done elegantly and has no way of embarrasing you and your family... Basically they were told to be adults." he shrugged.

"And I suppose you got two messages?" Cissy inqiured, "I know I told you to behave and try your best but I dont know if Lucius said anything."

"He told me a few things but I'll explain them later." Draco said.

**"And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you?"**

**"No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford."**

Draco winced as everyone glared at him.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sorts are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

"Good one, Harry!" the twins cheered.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents."**

"Isn't 'zat kind of a death threat?" Fluer asked.

"Yes it is and had I known about this incident Draco would have found himself in detention for the whole year." Minerva said through thin lips, she was very protective of Harry, he was like a nephew or grandson to her.

"Sorry." Draco winced, "I spent way too much time listening to my Father say that."

**"They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid and it'll rub off on you."**

**Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

**Ron's face was as red as his hair. "Say that again," he said.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" sneered Malfoy.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"So? The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Remus growled

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached towards the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

"Wait, what happened?" Percy asked.

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle Crabbe and Malfoy backed away.**

"Whimps!" said James and Sirius.

**As Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.**

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking around the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in "What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

**"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep."**

**And so he had.**

**"You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched."**

"Yeah right." James muttered.

"That was my idea I didn't want Draco growing up without anyone there because I was in prison," Cissy admitted quietly, "Sure he may have had Severus but it wouldn't be the same."

"Why Snape?" Sirius asked curiously.

"He was my Godfather." Draco said sadly. "That's why he favoured me a lot. If I really was out of line he'd call me to his office and tell me I was wrong there and usually got me to re-arrange his potions ingrediants as punishment." he said fondly. "Sometimes he'd just make me list them all by name and what they do, that's how I'm good at potion making, because he started getting me to learn them when I was 5 or 6."

"You were 5." Cissy told him, "You just turned 5 when he offered to start teaching you." Draco nodded.

**"My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."**

**He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up the front to ask the driver and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron.**

**"Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,"**

"Gee, acting childishly wouldn't be 'cause they're children would it?" Fred asked sarcastically. Hermione blushed again.

**said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

"As a matter of fact, I didn't." Ron said in the same tone as Hermione used in the memory making the women in the room, including Hermione herself, giggle and the men chuckle.

"I think that's enough until after dinner." Harry said looking at his watch that announced it was 4 pm. They all agreed and Molly went to make dinner with the other women following to help while the men chatted amongst themselves.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - The Cure.

4th, August, 1998.

The men were just chatting about thet last few memories when Ginny and Hermione walked in.

"Mum chucked us out of the kitchen," Ginny explained before sitting down next to Harry, "she said she had more than enough help."

Hermione sat next to Ron.

"Hey Gin? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked suddenly.

Ginny nodded and they went over to a corner of the room where Harry put a privacy spell around them.

"Whats up Harry?"

"I've been thinking remember what Death said about changing people into Lycans?" she nodded "I think we should ask Remus if he wants to be changed. It is definatley better than being a werewolf and he wont have to suffer like he usually dose. He wont have to worry about being dangerous as well." Harry explained his thoery.

"That would be a brilliant idea, but obviously only if he agrees. We will have to explain that he needs to relax and welcome the virus into his body, though." Ginny agreed, they returned to the group.

"Remus?" Harry asked nervously. Remus looked up from watching Teddy play with his toy wolf. "Me and Ginny were thinking. We think we know a remedy to the werewolf curse." he said slowly.

Remus cocked his head to the side in confusion, "Really?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah, you see when Death was here just before you guys returned he was explaining something's about our virus that we called Lycan." Ginny explained, "One of the things he told us was that our virus will over rule any illnesses, curse's or dissease's including the werewolf curse." she said.

"The only difference is that with you being a werewolf you would need to relax and welcome the virus otherwise your curse will fight back and it may cause you to lose your human mind forever. What we were thinking was that if you agree you wouldn't have to worry about being dangerous and you wouldn't have to suffer as much." Harry explained.

Remus was silent then looked up at them again, "You would do that for me?" he asked hopefully.

They nodded.

"Your like an uncle to me Remus. Just as much as Sirius has been a godfather to me." Harry replied giving Remus a hug.

"You don't deserve to suffer Remus." Ginny added, "Your too nice. Do you want a bit more information before you decide?"

Remus was quiet for a few minutes then he nodded, "I think it would be a good idea to have all the facts before I decide." he said.

"Well," Harry started, "there's obviously the physical aspects, were stronger," he said flexing his muscles, "were supposed to be faster, but we havent checked that out yet, were also supposed to have better reflexes and senses, that's why I don't need to wear my glasses anymore." he explained.

"Our virus also removes any scars left by the Lycanthropy." Ginny added, "Me and Harry have a soul bond and are classed as 'Life Mates' so if we want to change someone we have to bite them together, we are also very protective of each other apparently we havent been through a full moon yet were just going on Death's information." she explained, "On the full moon it is still a forced transformation but we have our human minds, its also painless apparently, but the wolf is still slightly stronger we will either have to hunt some small animals or find something that would keep a wolf busy or we might become restless and start chewing on things, like the furniature or we may be destructive apparently. Death said we have to read up on natural habits of wolves as some of them are valid but we don't know which ones are or not yet."

"We have accelerated healing powers too. This power apparently heals any small cuts in secconds. With larger injurys taking a few hours, acorrding to Death." Harry said taking out his wand and putting a small gash about an inch long on his hand without so much as wincing and watching fascinated as it glowed softly and was fully healed in secconds. "Cool," he said. "I wasn't entirely sure if it would work or not." he explained. "Also our diet will be more dependant on meat like steak and beef. We can, as you have seen, also change at will. That's the basic stuff we know we will find out more as we look into it more but that's all we know for now. Death said the only disadvantage was the cravings for raw meat around the full moon and that's not overly bad. We're not dangerous at all in general." he finished.

Remus was silent obviously thinking very hard. Eventually he looked up to find Harry and Ginny waiting patiently.

"I think," he started hesitantly, "that it would be nice to not have to suffer anymore and I won't have to worry about accidently biting someone. I agree with you I think if you are willing to change me into a Lycan then I will take your offer." he said.

Harry and Ginny nodded, "Yes we are willing. The thing is we dont know how much it might hurt or when to do it." Harry admitted.

"Well pain isn't a problem for me I've been dealing with werewolf transformations since I was four so I'm used to pain." Remus said.

"How about we do it after dinner?" Ginny suggested.

The two men nodded just as Molly called, "Dinners ready!" everyone went through to the kitchen with Harry getting Teddy from his playpen.

After dinner everyone was relaxing in the living room.

"Remus?" Harry asked after making sure Teddy was asleep for his nap, "Do you want me and Ginny to change you now?" Remus nodded, he had explained to everyone what was happening over dinner, and he and Dora followed Harry and Ginny out of the room and up the stairs to one of the guest room's that was put in when the Burrow was rebuilt after being destroyed during the war.

"Remus it may be best if you lie on the bed," Remus did what Harry had suggested, "do you know what you have to do?"

Remus nodded nervously, "I have to relax and welcome the virus into my body." he said.

"Good. You know what your supposed to be doing then, so I'd reccomend doing it." Ginny said making him chuckle and nod. Dora took his hand and he relaxed a bit more then finaly compleatly relaxed. "Ok now shall we start Harry?" Harry nodded and Ginny changed into Misty.

"Remember to stay relaxed Remus," he warned "or this might feel like more than a little painful." Harry changed into Shadow looked at Misty and nodded once.

At the same time both wolves moved over to Remus and Dora and at the same time both bit into Remus's arm then backed away leaving two bite marks that were already starting to heal, they then changed back into human and watched as Remus's face and whole body stayed relaxed as if he had fallen asleep.

After five minutes of this Remus opened his eyes and looked around, "I think that's it." he said slowly, "I felt the virus enter my viens, It was like fire for a minuite or two then ice for two minutes then it went back to normal about 30 secconds before I opened my eyes again. I didn't fight it at all."

"There is one way to find out, stand up please," Harry said, Remus did, "now focus on turning your body into that of a wolf."

Remus closed his eyes again and a minute later a large 6 foot 3 tawny wolf with white marks on it's back and legs and softly glowing blue eyes, was standing where Remus was.

"Yup it worked." Ginny commented conjuring a mirror and putting it in front of the wolf who looked at it's reflection curiously.

"That was faster than I was expecting." Dora commented, the wolf nodded in agreement.

"I think your planning on keeping 'Moony' for this form's name aren't you?" Harry asked, the wolf nodded.

Ginny vanished the mirror and said, "Right come on then. Moony I'm sure Padfoot has attacked you by jumping on you and licking your face I think you owe him some revenge dont you?" Moony nodded and let his tounge hang out in a wolfish grin. Moony then tried to walk towards the door but tripped and fell with a yelp.

"Hold on, Gin? I'll use Shadow until Moony gets his footing, can you make sure no one is coming." she nodded so Harry changed back into Shadow and went over to Moony.

Moony looked grateful and leaned against Shadow until he got his balance back then he tried walking again and only stumbled twice before he got the hang of walking on four legs.

Shadow turned into Harry again, "That was quick but I suppose It's easier for you so let's go. I'm going to stay as Shadow and I'll walk in just after Moony dose. Tell them we will both be down in a minute, that Moony is just getting his footing." he said, "That will give you a chance to surprise Sirius, Moony." he added to the wolf as the women left, "When you want to change back focus on becoming human again." Harry added before changing into Shadow once more and nodding towards the door.

Moony nodded and walked towards the door with Shadow following, both moving silently until they were outside the living room door where they heard Dora finish explaining that Moony was getting his footing and that Harry was with him, then Moony trotted into the room at a slightly faster pace than walking and leapt onto Sirius's knee and started attacking Sirius with slobery wolf kisses from his tounge. Everyone burst out laughing.

Moony then got off of a shocked Sirius and went over to his wife who was having a fit of giggles at her cousins fate.

Shadow walked into the room from where he had been watching and changed into a laughing Harry who said, "You can change back now Remus." through his laughter.

Moony changed into Remus again. Remus grinned at Sirius.

"What was that for!" Sirius demanded.

"That, Padfoot, was revenge for all the times you have done it to me and Prongs." he replied grinning at James who was laughing at Sirius.

Once everyone had stopped laughing Lily asked, "It worked then? I don't know if you noticed but your appearance has changed." Remus frowned and Andy who was closest conjured a body length mirror for him.

Remus was now 6 foot tall his eyes had turned into thier old clear blue colour that they were before he was turned into a werewolf by Greyback. There were no scars over his forearms, wrists, hands, face or neck that he could see and he had a bit more muscle on him he looked like he was a professional runner, similar to Harry, he looked healthier too.

"Oh yeah, this is the first time I've been human since I first changed into a wolf." Remus explained as Andy vanished the mirror again and he sat down between his wife and mother-in-law.

"Ok it's only 6 o'clock." Harry said looking at his watch "Why don't we watch two more memories before bed." everyone agreed and turned toward the pensive as Harry added the next memories.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - First Year (Part 2)

4th, August, 1998.

Harry added the memory then went back to his seat. "This is my memory of the sorting and then of going up to the tower." he explained.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face**

"Minnie!" the Marauders cheered making Minerva glare at them.

**and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"At least you figured that out Harry it took your father and godfather three weeks and 21 detentions before they figured it out." Minerva commented smiling at a very red James and Sirius.

"We didn't mean to do it." James said defensivley.

"Yeah how were we to know it would explode?" Sirius added.

Remus had noticed the confused looks on the others face's so said, "We weren't friends at first I was considered loopy as I used to mutter to keep the wolf at bay when I could feel it coming close to the surface, but James and Sirius were nice enough about it then we gradually became friends." he explained, "These two decided to set up an indoor fireworks display on Halloween and it went wrong. No one was hurt but a few of the fireworks landed on the house tables just before they exploded and everyone got covered in food."

"We were first years, besides it worked in seccond year when you helped us Moony." James said.

"Yes it did and it was Dumbledore who stopped me from giving you three detention. He said it was in holiday spirit and it cheered everyone up, the war was getting worse, so I couldn't punish you for it." Minerva told them, they snickered.

**"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole of the Dursleys' house in it.**

"And even the Dursley's themselves. Which would be more of a challenge." Ron said chuckling.

**The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they normally would have done, peering about nervously.**

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."**

"That's exactly what you said to us. Word-for-Word." Lily told Minerva who just smiled.

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor,"**

The Marauders and twins cheered.

**"Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."**

They boo'd this time.

**"Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.** **While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

"We didn't bother," said James pointing to himself then Sirius. "We were soaking wet, we fell in the lake, so there wasn't really much we could do."

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

"That won't help son." James said, "Nothing and no-one can beat or tame the Potter hair."

Harry nodded, "I noticed."

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall, "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."**

"Of course it was a joke you idiot." Fred said.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would he have to do?**

"Just have to put on a hat." George said.

"Well we didn't know that did we?" Harry replied.

**He hadn't expected something like this the moment he arrived.**

"Oh yes, it's so hard to put a hat on." Fred said sarcastically, making the Goldedn Trio glare at him.

"You told me we had to wrestle a troll so shut it." Ron told him.

"Um... Ron?" Harry whispered to him so only he could hear, "We did eventually do that."

"You wrestled it, I just hit it with its club." he whispered back with a smirk.

**He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learnt and wondering which one she'd need.**

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.**

"Wow. You could do that before you even got a wand!" said Sirius, impressed.

"Before you even knew your a wizard!" James added.

Harry shrugged. "It was accidental magic I didn't control it." he said.

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"Dramatic much?" snorted Sirius.

"It runs in the family," said Remus, looking at James. James took it as a compliment.

**Then something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.**

"What is it?" asked James.

"Must be ghosts." said Sirius.

"Could be Peeves!" they said together, gleefully.

**"What the -?" He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years.**

**They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk**

"Fat Friar!" James said.

**was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"**

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"**

"Finally, one noticed!" Lily said.

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first-years.**

"Nick!" said James and Sirius.

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"**

"Noooo... we just felt like standing there," said Harry sarcastically making everyone laugh.

**A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first-years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead,**

"I remember that feeling." said Lily.

**Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.**

**Professor McGonagall led the first-years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.**

**The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upwards and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."**

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open up to the heavens.**

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat.**

"'Zat's the Sorting Hat?" Fluer asked curiously.

"Yes it is. I'm guessing you didn't go to Hogwarts Fluer?" Lily asked.

"Non, I went to Beaubaxtons in France." she explained.

**This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the Hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it too.**

**For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:**

**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**

**But don't judge on what you see,**

**I'll eat myself if you can find**

**A smarter hat than me.**

**You can keep your bowlers black,**

**Your top hats sleek and tall,**

**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**

**And I can cap them all.**

**There's nothing hidden in your head**

**The Sorting hat can't see,**

**So try me on and I will tell you**

**Where you ought to be.**

**You might belong in Gryffindor,**

**Where dwell the brave at heart,**

**Their daring, nerve and chivalry**

**Set Gryffindors apart;**

**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**

**Where they are just and loyal,**

**Those patient Hufflepuffs are true**

**And unafraid of toil;**

**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**

**If you've a ready mind,**

**Where those of wit and learning,**

**Will always find there kind;**

**Or perhaps in Slytherin**

**You'll make your real friends,**

**Those cunning folk use any means**

**To achieve their ends."**

"I think its also house rivalries that make most people in Slytherin go dark," Draco said, "from the moment the hat shouts Slytherin we're automaticaly branded as evil." he explained.

Harry nodded, "I think your right Draco, but I think that's only part of it, there are other factors too, like how you were raised and how much ambition you have."

"It's true. Regulus and I both had mixed messages growing up it was my decision to go to the light instead of the dark side." Sirius said as Regulus nodded, "Regulus obviously was a Death Eater but he was killed trying to leave."

Cissy shook her head, "We dont' know how he died Sirius," at this the four who knew the truth looked down so no-one saw thier knowing looks, "I was told about the meeting when Voldemort was told of Regulus's dissapearance. We thought he was killed on a mission but no-one ever found his body." Cissy explained.

"That's because only I know the whole truth of that." Regulus commented.

"We know the truth of that. It was closer to what Sirius said but you will just have to wait to find out about it as it plays a role in our seventh year." Harry told them.

"How'd you find out?" Regulus asked.

"That's for us to know and for you to find out. Okay back to the memory Ladies and Gentlemen." Harry said making everyone chuckle again.

**"So put me on! Don't be afraid!**

**And don't get in a flap!**

**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**

**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

Harry, Ron and Hermione smirked at each other and glanced at Minerva who's lip's twitched.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he wished he could have tried it on without everyone watching.**

**The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause - "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

"So some of the Bones must have survived!" said Lily happily.

"It was Amelia Bones and her brother Edgar's daughter Susan." Minerva explained.

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

**"Boot, Terry!"**

"We were at school with his parents they were a year above us." Remus said.

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. "Brocklehurst, Mandy"**

**went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender"**

"Greg's daughter, you reckon?" Remus asked.

"Greg?" Sirius questioned.

"Greg Brown, Gryffindor. Same year as Lucius and Cissy, remember?" said James.

"Oh yeah, course I remember. Their fight in Transfiguration was famous!" exclaimed Sirius. "The whole school heard about it!"

"Yeah." Cissy said, "I remember him."

"Shame Lucius left before us," said Sirius. James stared at him. "What? it was fun hitting him with bludgers in seccond and third year!"

"Oh. Yeah, that's true." James admitted.

**became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

"We did that too," said Sirius. "Every sorting!"

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became the first Slytherin.**

**Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked an unpleasant lot.**

"They are, Harry," said James. "Well, some of them," he added under Lily, Cissy, Draco and Andy's glares.

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during sports lessons at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they like him.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.**

"Took about four seconds with me," said James proudly.

"Took its time with me," muttered Sirius.

"Didn't take that long with me, but it wasn't just two seconds either," said Lily.

"Same here," Remus said at the same time as Dora.

"It couldn't decide wether to put me in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor." Dora said. "It eventualy put me in Hufflepuff."

**"Finnigan, Seamus" the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

Hermione blushed as most people snickered.

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.**

**Ron groaned.**

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous.**

**What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

"That can't happen!" said Sirius. "Can it?" he added uncertainly.

"It cant." Minerva said smiling.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR", Neville ran off still wearing it,**

They all laughed.

"That was pretty funny." the twins said.

**and had to jog amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

**There weren't many people left now.**

**Moon David, in Ravenclaw... Nott... Parkinson... then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"... then "Perks, Sally-Anne"... and then, at last- "Potter, Harry!"**

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

"Of course." Harry moaned, "There was always whispers." he explained to his parent's and the others who looked confused.

**"Potter, did she say?"**

**"The Harry Potter?"**

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the Hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

**"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"**

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin."**

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no? Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

"It almost put you in Slytherin?" Draco asked shocked Harry nodded.

"Wow it was close then." Percy said also shocked, "Mind you it did that with me as well because of the ambition to do well, it also considered Ravenclaw." he admitted.

"It considered Hufflepuff for me." Charlie said.

"We were considered for Slytherin too." George said pointing at Fred as he said it.

"I was considered for Ravenclaw." Hermione said.

"No surprises there Miss Smartest Witch Of Her Age." Harry teased, Hermione blushed.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole Hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily towards the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet.**

**Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

Everyone grinned as the twins stood and bowed.

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs-up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the centre of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd got out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole Hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.**

**Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Turpin, Lisa" became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.**

**Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin.**

"He was quite quiet most of the time. He's actually a really good friend of mine." Draco said, "Especially because he stayed neutral through the war, he helped a lot when I wasnt at home." he explained.

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

**Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

"Nothing probably could." Minerva said smiling.

**"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"**

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some reason, mint humbugs.**

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry**

"They better not have." Lily said furiously with James nodding next to her.

"They never." Harry said before glaring at Ron as he opened his mouth to speak and shaking his head making Ron close his mouth with a pop.

**but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry wanted, even if it made him sick.**

**Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the humbugs and began to eat. It was delicious.**

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak. "Can't you -?"**

**"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicolas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnegan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell on to his shoulder as if it was on a hinge.**

**Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly.**

**Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back on to his neck, coughed and said, "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindor have never gone so long without winning. Slytherin have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."**

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

"Good." Ginny said smirking at Draco, who pouted.

"Well in my defence he's creepy." he said. Regulus Cissy and Andy nodded.

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before.**

"Ah, those marvelous house-elves!" Sirius commented making Hermione glare at him.

**A moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice-cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding...**

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half and half," said Seamus. "Me Dad's a Muggle. Mam didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

They all laughed.

**The others laughed.**

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my Gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville,**

"His Gran?" asked James slowly.

"What happened to Alice and Frank?" Lily questioned.

"Our sister." Cissy and Andy replied. "Bellatrix."

"You will find out the rest later." Harry added.

**"but the family thought I was a Muggle for ages."**

"Dosent he mean Squib?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, we think he forgot the word or didnt know it." Hermione smiled.

**"My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great-uncle Algie came round for tea and was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go."**

They all looked shocked.

**"But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see."**

"Hmm... I seem to remember being thrown out of Ron's bedroom window once." Ginny said glaring at the twins who looked ashamed.

"Well thats why Mum stopped us from playing Truth or Dare." Bill said, "We just got worse the older we were." he explained to everyone who had not seen a game of Weasley Truth or Dare.

"And your mother was right to ban that game in the house. Why I suggested it to you in the first place I don't know." Arthur said.

"We were bored, it was when Mum was pregnant with Ron, and it was raining," Charlie told his father, "and you suggested we play a game Bill asked 'What kind of game' and you said 'Truth or Dare' so we invented our own version and taught it to Ron and Ginny when they were old enough." he explained.

"Arthur!" Molly said shocked, "It was you who told them to play it?"

"Mum it was me and George who took it to the extreme. Dad didn't tell us to make it worse." Fred told her while all the Weasley kids nodded. Molly huffed and went back to watching the memory.

**"Great-uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons**

**("I do hope they start straight away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult -"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing -")**

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the high table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin.**

"SNAPE!" James yelled.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead. "Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing."**

Percy looked at Harry, "You should have said something you know." he said. Harry shrugged.

"It really was nothing compared to everything else." he replied.

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off the feeling Harry had from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

"He didn't." Harry said.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the puddings too disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The Hall fell silent.**

**"Ahem - just a few more words now we are all fed and watered."**

"Fed and watered?" Fred questioned.

"He must think we're horses." George joked.

**"I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

The Marauders grinned as did the twins.

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."**

"That just gives troublemakers incentive to go and have a look." Remus commented.

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.**

"No that's me." Sirius said cheerfully. Everyone else groaned at the pun.

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that."**

"Never stopped us, did it?" grinned James.

"Nope." Sirius grinned back.

Minerva rolled her eyes as did Remus.

**"I think he might have told us Prefects, at least."**

**"And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore.**

**Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he were trying to get a fly off the end and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself snake-like into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"**

**And the school bellowed:**

**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**

**Teach us something please,**

**Whether we be old and bald**

**Or young with scabby knees,**

**Our heads could do with filling**

**With some interesting stuff,**

**For now they're bare and full of air,**

**Dead flies and bits of fluff,**

**So teach us things worth knowing,**

**Bring back what we've forgot,**

**Just do your best, we'll do the rest**

**And learn until our brains all rot."**

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

Sirius grinned. "We always sang to slow songs and we were always the loudest too!"

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest**

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

"What's with him and horses? He used to say that to us as well!" James said.

**Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was wondering how much further they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in mid-air ahead of them and as Percy took a step towards them they started throwing themselves at him.**

"Peeves!" Sirius, James and the twins said grinning.

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first-years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself."**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

All the men chuckled.

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

**There was a pop and a little man with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle firsties! What fun!"**

"Said the same to us, didn't he Padfoot, Moony?" asked James.

"Yeah." they replied.

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.**

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us Prefects."**

"Prefects? If he doesn't listen to teachers, or even Dumbledore, what makes him think he'll listen to a prefect?" wondered Sirius.

"He listened to us sometimes though." interjected James.

"He did?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah." Sirius put in.

"How come?" Dora asked.

"We're fellow pranksters," said James simply, as if it were obvious. "Though he was often more of a hindrance than a help."

**"Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said.**

**"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep-red velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

**"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream.**

**He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny.**

"Stupid Voldemort." Harry muttered so only Ron and Hermione could hear him.

**Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier; he tried to pull it off, but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it - then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape,**

"Greasy git." James said. Lily smacked him on the back of the head.

**whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light**

"Oh no... that's..." began Sirius but his voice trailed off at Harry's nod.

"The Killing Curse." Harry confirmed quietly.

**and Harry woke, sweating and shaking. He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"Good." Lily nodded, "You definatly dont need to remember that."

"I think that's enough for tonight." Harry said smiling.

Everyone nodded and either headed home to return in the morning, or up to bed for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9 - First year (Part 2.5)

5th, August, Thursday, 1998.

The next morning once everyone was in the living room after breakfast and those who had left arrived, Harry started thinking about what memories to show everyone next.

"I think we will skip my first potions class, lets just say it was a disaster and Snape hated me with a passion." he said.

"Why did Sev hate you?" Regulus asked, he had gotten quite close to him when he joined the Death Eaters.

"Because of us." Remus awnsered him.

"Yeah we did pick on him a lot." James said looking ashamed under Lily's glare.

"He assumed I was just like my father because of my apperance and he refused to look past that and see me for who I am. To him I was an arrogant, attention seeking brat who was treated like royalty and got everything my own way and didn't care who got hurt to do it." Harry explained. "It didn't help that I was terrible at potions either." he added.

"He also favoured Draco over everyone else." Ron added.

"Well he was my Godfather but I think my Father had somesting to do with the favouring me part." Draco told them, getting nod's.

"Okay lets start with at the end of the potions lesson." Harry said.

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week -**

"Don't sweat it. We lost closer to fifty." James told his son.

"And yet you seem proud of it." said Minerva exasperatedly.

**why did Snape hate him so much?**

"Beause he hates me." James said.

"But he likes Lily." Remus pointed out.

"But he looks like me." James argued.

"Not his eyes," Remus retorted.

"Everything else, though. Main looks. From his hair to his... erm... nose!" he finished awkwardly getting laughs from the rest of the room. "Whatever. The point is Snape hated me and therefore he'll hate any children that are Potter's."

**"Cheer up," said Ron. "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George."**

"It's true." the twins said in unison.

**"Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?" At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks.**

"Fang!" all the boys, exept Draco, cheered.

"Right coward, that dog!" said Charlie.

"Like some other dogs I know." said James, looking at Sirius.

"Oi! I am not a coward!" Sirius shouted.

"Who said it was you?" Remus asked him.

"Urgh!" Sirius groaned and put his head in his hands.

"You walked yourself into that one Siri." Regulus said chuckling.

Sirius looked up, "You know about the animagus thing?" Regulus nodded. "How? We never told anyone."

"Um... you may have left your notes lying around your room one day, when Mother was punishing you -" Sirius went pale at the mention of the punishment's he used to get. "- also the flea collar and chew toy I found after you left were a hint as well." Regulus explained watching as his brother stared into space. "Sirius?" he said confused and worried.

Harry went over to Sirius, "Sirius whats up?" he asked his godfather while shaking his shoulder.

The only response he got was a whispered "Punishment's." confusing himself and everyone who didn't know what the punishments were. James, Remus and Regulus suddenly looked understanding.

Regulus got up and dragged his big brother with him. "Explain." he added to James, who nodded, on his way out.

"Their parent's hated Sirius for being who he is." James started, "He used to get punished for the smallest things." he explained.

"Kind of like me then." Harry suggested his father and Remus nodded.

"Similar, but his were much worse." Remus said, "He used to get fire whipped, maeaning it's like your being burned but it dosnt leave a mark, by Kreacher, that's one of the reasons why he hate's the elf so much, then he used to get thrown in the cellar and left there in the dark with nothing to eat or drink and his back, arms and legs feeling like they had been burned to the bone, for undetermined periods of time." he explained.

"That's not all Moony," James added, "I noticed him shaking once, it was the summer he ran away from home and when he came to my house. I asked him about it and he told me he'd been Crucio'ed by his Father."

"I remember that, Uncle Orion was furious at what Sirius had done but Aunt Walburga kept saying that the Cruciatus was too far." Cissy said suddenly just as Regulus came back in.

"He's asking for you James." he said. James nodded and left.

"What part are you up to in explaining?" Regulus asked. Remus told him. "Oh yeah, that, well as Sirius was leaving my Father tried to Imperio him but Sirius fought it so he got Crucio'ed by our Father before our Mother stopped him." Regulus said wincing at the memory, "Despite what he belives she did actualy care she just didn't want him to ruin his life which she thought would happen if he was himself. She wanted him to follow the traditional line of the Blacks that's why she was so hard on him. I asked her after he left and once our Father had went to work the next day." he added.

"That was just the type of person she was." Cissy said, "But she must have noticed that Sirius never was, and was never going to be, like the rest of us."

Regulus shrugged as James and a better looking Sirius walked in and sat down again.

"You okay Padfoot?" Remus asked Sirius nodded as the memory started again.

**Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang - Back." Hagrid's big hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. "Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."**

"Doesn't really name his pets well, does he?" Fred commented.

"What d'you mean?" Draco asked.

"Well, he's a coward, but he's called Fang? Does that sound right to you?" George said.

"Guess not." Draco admitted.

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears.**

**Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"Definatly not. Kind of like Padfoot." James said, making Sirius grin.

**"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes on to a plate.**

"Whatever you do, don't eat them!" warned James.

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spend half me life chasin yer twin brothers away from the Forest."**

"And spent the other half chasing us away." said Sirius proudly as the twins put on innocent faces that no-one believed.

**The rock cakes almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid about their first lessons.**

**Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled over his robes. Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."**

"It's the truth." the twins said.

"The cold hard truth." the Marauders agreed.

"That is why I'm replacing him." Minerva said, "I've never liked him but Albus was too soft to fire him. So I'm going to do it once I've found a replacement." she explained.

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang some time. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Filch puts her up to it."**

"Most likely." the twins said.

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry no to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

"Because of Prongs." Remus and Sirius said.

"And me." Sirius added.

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

"I love him; you can tell when he's lying." Harry sighed fondly.

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals." Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.**

**While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cosy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown. **

**Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**

**"But we're not telling what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon.**

"That's a nice way to tell them to mind their own business, isn't it?" Regulus commented.

"That's not their nice way. The nice way is along the lines of 'Only our manager knew what was in there. We're not allowed to tell you so goodbye.'" Bill chuckled, "That basically told them 'Get lost, we're not telling you because we dont want to look bad.'" he shrugged.

"Goblin's may not seem like it but they do care about how they look to their customers in terms of security and confidentiality." Fleur nodded.

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time.**

"Bless him, he couldn't lie if his life depended on it." James said.

**He grunted and offered him another rock cake.**

**Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package.**

**Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

"Skipping." Harry said.

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley,**

"What?" Remus asked.

**but that was before he met Draco Malfoy**

"Oh, that makes more sense." Draco said going pink. "It's me being the worlds biggest prat again."

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much.**

**Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room which made them groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

Everyone groaned.

"I did try to get my Gryffindor's put with the Hufflepuff's and Severus did try to get his Slytherin's with the Ravenclaw's but unfortunatly, because of the timetables, the Gryffindor's had to go with the Slytherin's that year. Severus had a class so I was sitting watching from an unused classroom's window as something, usually something bad, almost always happens when Slytherin and Gryffindor are put together for flying lessons." Minerva explained.

"Or any lessons in general." Ginny mused, "Depending on the teacher, there were always fights or little incidents either before, during or leaving class."

"Slytherin's usually dont get along at all with Gryffindor's." Draco said, "Same the other way around. It was bad whenever we got stuck with each other in classes."

"I'd noticed that with the 6th year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's when I was there." Remus commented, "There was an increasing problem with the 1st year class too."

"Which is why Albus and I usually kept them seperated unless there was no way to avoid it." Minerva explained, "That wont happen this year. We'll be purposefully putting them together to get the two houses to work together better."

"It'll be a miracle if that works." James predicted.

"The DA worked with a few Slytherin's last year." Ginny told him, "And that was without any nasty comments or arguments at all, just a few snide remarks from them infront of teachers so they could stay undetected." she shrugged.

"And if you hadnt noticed there are a few Slytherin's here you get along with." Andy added, "And not all Slytherin's are evil, I'm not, neither is Cissy or Draco even if they made bad choices in the past."

"My girlfriend, Astoria, isnt evil at all, she was one of the one's helping the other houses last year." Draco said.

"The main problem is getting students to drop the stereotypes and realise everyone can get along if they tried." Minerva smiled.

Harry shrugged, "A whole quarter of the wizarding cant be all evil or bad."

"The war would've been worse if it was." Remus nodded, "My parents used to tell me not to judge people on their house, coulor of skin, species or past. They did advise me to be careful around pureblood's though."

"One of the things that most pureblood's learn growing up is how to identify werewolves and vampires, thing's like that." Regulus nodded.

"That's how we confirmed it." James added, "When we were in 1st year at the end of the year we saw a few of the scars Remus had."

"Both of us recognised it was from a werewolf since those scars are unique." Sirius sighed, "We already had an idea by then but we didnt want to ask until we knew."

"So you waited and cornered me." Remus huffed, "Oh well it was easier than me having to tell you outright myself... Or getting Poppy and Dumbledore to do it." he shrugged.

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

**"You don't know you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first-years never getting in the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories which always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

"Right, yeah, like that happened." the twins scoffed.

"I was just boasting." Draco admitted sheepishly.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnegan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick.**

"That's hardly any more believable than my story!" Draco said.

"Wait... isn't he Muggle Born?" asked Regulus.

"No, his 'Mam' was a witch," said Ron imitating Seamus' Irish accent.

**Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hand-glider on Charlie's old broom.**

"RON!" Molly screeched.

"Sorry." Ron said, not sounding at all apologetic, as everyone laughed.

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about football.**

**Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly.**

**Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham football team, trying to make the players move.**

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book -** **not that she hadn't tried.**

**At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd got out of a library book called Quidditch through the Ages.**

"That's a good book." James said.

"It is." Regulus agreed.

"But it won't help you if you don't fly already." Ginny commented.

"Nope." the twins said.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the post.**

**Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course.**

"Sorry Harry." Draco said. Harry nodded accepting the apology.

**Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

"Git." Sirius muttered so only James and Remus heard.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them all, a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

"A rememberall!" squealed Lily. "Those are so nice!"

**"It's a Rememberall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Rememberall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "... you've forgotten something..."**

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten**

They laughed

**when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Rememberall out of his hand.**

"Give that back, you git!" James yelled, Lily smacked him on the back of the head.

"Sorry!" Draco said again.

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school,**

"That's because I pay attention and had lots of practice with the Marauders." Minerva said smugly, while the Marauders grinned.

**was there in a flash. "What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Rememberall, Professor."**

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Rememberall back on the table. "Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps into the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn**

"Perfect conditions." James commented.

**on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"Haven't fixed that, have they?" said James.

"Apparently not." Charlie said.

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

**Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

"They need new brooms." Lily commented as Minerva nodded.

"I've been meaning to get them fixed or replaced for a while but other more urgent problems always pop up when I'm about to do it." she admitted.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say, 'Up!'"**

**"UP!" everyone shouted.**

**Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows, correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

Draco flushed as most people in the room snickered.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"**

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madame Hooch's lips.**

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle twelve feet - twenty feet.**

"Wild broomstick. Poor Neville." Ginny said.

**Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and - WHAM**

The three with sensitive hearing winced.

**- a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap.**

They all winced.

"Poor Neville!" Lily said echoing Ginny.

"He's a Gryffindor! He'll bear it!" said James confidently, although he didn't really believe it.

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.**

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get." She turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear."**

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in.**

"Prat's!" George shouted.

"Git's!" Fred yelled.

"Snake's!" James said.

"Flea's!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Flea's?" Harry asked amused.

"Yeah! They're a right pain, those little buggers." Sirius announced.

"You would know." James snorted.

"Of course I do!" Sirius complained.

"Okay here is what im going to do." Draco started going red, "I know I'm a prat through all of our years at school so I'm going to apologise now for all of it." he took out his wand and stood up, "I, Draco Regulus Malfoy, apologise for being such a big prat to everyone while I was at school." he finished, a pale blue light came out of his wand and surrounded his body then faded, sealing the apology. He got a few approving nod's from people in the room and smiles from the rest.

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."**

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." The Rememberall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly.**

**Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect - how about - up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt on to his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well - hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry grabbed his broom.**

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."**

**Harry ignored her.**

"You know I'm kind of glad you did." Hermione said quietly to Harry who grinned and nodded.

**Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared, air rushed through his hair and his robes whipped out behind him - and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful.**

**He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

"Yeah! Go Harry!" Sirius and James cheered with the twins.

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in mid-air. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"You should be! Never take on a Potter in a flying contest!" James announced as the others who had seen Harry or his Father fly nodded.

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

They snickered.

"I wasn't expecting Harry to come after me. I thought he'd be too scared." Draco said going pink.

"I didn't know how to fly before I got on that broom though, I was just lucky. You should never underestimate someone, either, that's how accidents happen." Harry told him, thinking of how most people underestimated the younger Lord Voldemort, Draco nodded, hanging his head in shame.

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do.**

**He leant forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands and shot towards Malfoy like a javelin.**

"I wasn't expecting that either." Draco commented. Harry smirked.

**Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about turn and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

"It is impressive for a first year." Regulus said.

**"No Crabbe and Goyle to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called. The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back towards the ground.**

**Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive,**

"That was just scary Harry." Ron said with Hermione nodding as Ginny, Molly, Lily, Fluer, Andy and even Cissy shrieked in fear.

**racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingling with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently on to the grass with the Rememberall clutched safely in his fist.**

"Damn." James breathed, "Your good."

"Don't know if even Prongs could've pulled that off," said Sirius. James didn't look offended.

"Seeker." Regulus said happily. James beamed.

Harry hid his smile behind his hand.

**"HARRY POTTER!"**

They all groaned, exept Minerva, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running towards them. He got to his feet trembling.**

**"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock,**

"That's a first!" James said.

"She always had something to say to us!" Sirius added.

"Well, he did nearly give me a heart attack." Minerva said glaring at Harry who smiled back innocently making Ron, Ginny and Hermione chuckle remembering the other times Harry had done that to their head of house.

**and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"**

"But I didn't." Harry said.

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"**

"Exactly." Draco said guiltily, "It was my fault."

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil -"**

**"But Malfoy -"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."**

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode towards the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it.**

**He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks.**

"You honestly thought I was going to expel you?" Minerva asked Harry, he nodded with a pout.

"You could've said something." he huffed.

"I didnt think you'd jump to that conclusion." she shrugged.

**He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

"Probably something along the lines of, 'bugger he's back'." George said making everyone laugh.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore.**

**He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant.**

**His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others become wizards while he stumped the grounds, carrying Hagrid's bag.**

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside. "Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?**

"Don't be stupid!" Ginny scoffed.

"Hey it was my imagination running wild, I couldn't help it." Harry defended himself.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry. "In here."**

**Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom which was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

"I wonder what he was writing." Sirius grinned.

"Probably something the Marauders taught him no doubt." Minerva replied. The three grinned.

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker."**

"WHAT!" those who didn't know shouted evidently shocked.

"You got on the team in your 1st year?" James questioned, "You had to have been the youngest seeker in -"

"- a century." Harry cut his father off with a smile while Minerva nodded.

"Wow. I knew you were good Harry but I didn't know you were that good." Andy said checking on Teddy who was still asleep in his magical playpen. "I've seen you fly before but I haven't seen you play Quiditch yet." she explained.

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

"Nope that's me." Sirius said cheerfully. Everyone groaned.

"Shut it Sirius. You know we all had to put up with that pun since you turned 6." Regulus complained while Cissy nodded her agreement, "It's getting old." he added. Sirius pouted but stayed quiet.

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"Yup!" James was positively delighted that his son was on the team.

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

"Your right I couldn't." Charlie nodded grinning at Harry who grinned back.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's the captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light - speedy - we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin,"**

"Oh, don't say that, Minnie!" Sirius groaned getting over his brother's words.

**"I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..."**

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." Then she suddenly smiled.**

"And that's rare." James commented making Minerva glare at him.

"Well I need to make sure the student's don't think I'm a pushover." she said. "Especially the troublemakers."

**"Your father would have been proud," she said.**

"I am!" James said. Harry beamed.

**"He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Yes he was - is!" corrected Sirius at James's glare.

**It was dinner time. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak-and-kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it. "Seeker?" he said. "But first-years never - you must be the youngest house player in about -"**

**"- a century," said Harry, shovelling pie in his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." Ron was so amazed, so impressed; he just sat and gaped at Harry. "I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

"Yeah, like that'll last long in Hogwarts." Lily snorted.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry and hurried over.**

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."**

"Yeah. You two seem like beater material." said Sirius.

"Yeah. We're destructive even without the bat, so just imagine what we can do with one!" George grinned.

"Just like us!" James said pointing to himself then Sirius, "Though I prefered chaser or seeker." he added.

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

"Wow. And Wood hasn't even seen you play yet! Or Fly for that matter!" Sirius said.

**"Anyway, we've got to go; Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passage way out of the school."**

"Bet we already know it!" said James.

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week."**

"Wow, that was fast we didn't find that one until our third week when we were runniing away from Filch." Sirius said.

"We were doing the same." Fred admitted.

**Fred and George hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

"Never." Harry said cheerfully.

**"You're a lot braver now you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly.**

**There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle,**

"True." Remus said. "They weren't all that bright either." he added.

**but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

"Ooh, scary! Not!" the twins said.

**"I'd take you on any time on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

**"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling round. "I'm his second, who's yours?"**

"Thanks for making up my mind for me Ron." Harry said sarcastically.

"Sorry mate."

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

"They're both big, ugly and stupid." Regulus commented.

**"Crabbe,"**

"Ah, the biggest, ugliest and stupidest!" Sirius exclaimed.

**he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room, that's always unlocked."**

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "but people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

"I did." Draco admitted.

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose." said Sirius wisely.

"Speaking from experience, are we?" asked Andy.

"'Course!" he said cheerfully.

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," suggested Ron.**

They all laughed at the similarity.

"Alright everyone I think we will take a break now." Harry said getting nod's from everyone. "We will continue in an hour." he added as everyone got up and seperated to do their own thing. The women, exept Hermione and Ginny who stayed with Ron and Harry, went to the kitchen to make some lunch and some of the men went outside to streach their legs and the others just sat and talked.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I know I forgot to put one of these on the first 10 chapters but you should have figured out I dont own anything belonging to JK Rowling.

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><p>Chapter 11 - Teddy's Outburst and Discussions.<p>

5th, August, 1998.

After everyone had something to eat for lunch Harry and Ginny decided to sit on the living room floor with Teddy while he crawled around the room to burn the energy he had after lunch. Soon everyone else was sitting on the sofas and seats in the living room watching Teddy play with his stuffed wolf while crawling backwards and forwards between his floor-mates.

"Teddy," Harry said, "What's your wolf's name?" he asked the little boy not expecting an answer.

Therefore he was quite shocked when Teddy looked at him and said quite clearly, "Wolf," then Teddy looked back down at the stuffed toy and said "Moon." with a jerk of the head that looked suspiciously like a nod.

Everyone just sat there shocked at the words that Teddy had said.

"So your wolf's name is 'Moon'." Harry asked then looked at Andy, "Did you know he could say those words?" he asked her as Teddy started crawling over to where Draco was sitting.

"No. I didn't." she replied, frowning. "Which is odd."

"He must have picked them up somewhere." Lily said. "You were the same way Harry, you would just randomly say words that you heard us saying." she explained.

Molly nodded, "Fred, George, Ron and Ginny did that too. Though I think that was the older three's fault because some of the words weren't ones me and Arthur used a lot." she said as Arthur nodded.

"Like how Ron picked up swear words." Arthur frowned.

"Oop's." Bill and Charlie said.

"That was them." Percy chuckled, "I can remember Ginny picked up a few too."

"She was just smart enough not to use them in front of you." Bill added to his parent's.

"Fred and George had the habit of copying Percy." Charlie commented.

"It was annoying." Percy sighed.

"Probably why we did it then." Fred shrugged.

"Don't forget Teddy could have put the variation on Moony. He must have heard either me or Prongs using it." Sirius added making everyone nod.

"Teddy?" Draco asked with a thoughtful look on his face, "Who's that?" he said pointing at Sirius.

Teddy looked over and said, "Unca Pa'foot." making most people chuckle.

"That's what it's been then." Dora said, "Teddy who's this?" she added pointing to James.

"Unca Pr-on'." replied as though he'd been saying it forever, making everyone smile.

"I know let's see how many people he can name." Ginny suggested making everyone nod.

"Hey Teddy? Who's this?" Harry asked pointing at Minerva.

"Auny Min-nie." he replied smiling making the adults chuckle again, Minerva just smiled at him.

"Who's this Teddy?" Draco asked pointing at Fred and George who grinned at the little boy.

"Unca F-re-d. Unca G'or-g-e." Teddy said slowly, then he added, very carefully, "Tr-oub-le."

"See he's only 6 months old and he already knows you two are trouble." Molly said looking at the twins who smiled back innocently as everyone else chuckled, "Teddy who am I?" she asked.

"Grama Mol." everyone chuckled as Molly shrugged.

"He can call me that if it makes him happy." Molly said smiling.

"And who's this?" Remus asked pointing at Bill and Fluer.

"Unca Bill. Auny Fl'w'er." the little boy said struggling with Fluer's name. The two just smiled at him.

"Who am I Teddy?" Charlie asked.

"Unca Char." Teddy said then he looked at Ron, "Unca Ron." he said while waving his fist at Ron then looking at Hermione, "Auny Hermy." this made the adults smiles widen, "Unca Reg." for Regulus, who smiled, was next to be said then, "Auny Gin." after Ginny it was, "Grampa Art-hur." for Arthur and finally "Auny Lily." Teddy pointed at the people he named as he named them obviously liking this game the adults started.

"So he can name everyone in the room." Harry stated with a chuckle, "I kind of thought that he was picking up more than he was letting on." he explained, "I heard him mumble a few times but it wasn't clear what he was saying."

"Well let's face it he's got two smart parent's he's bound to pick up some words we don't notice he's picked up. He hasn't heard Grampa as far as I know." Ginny said smiling at Remus and Dora who beamed back.

Teddy crawled back over to Harry and lifted his arms to be held. Harry picked him up and sat Teddy on his knee where the little boy tried to stand so Harry picked him up again and placed his feet on the ground where Teddy was quite happy to stand, even with Harry's hand's supporting his chest and back to stop him from falling.

"A bit full of energy today isn't he?" Harry asked.

"He was doing that last night as well." Dora told him.

Remus nodded, "He pulled himself up to stand while holding onto the couch." he said. "We think it's because he just likes to stand. He's no-where near old enough to start walking yet." he added.

"True all of my kids were like that especially Ron and Ginny." Molly said as Ron and Ginny both turned red, "I think that it was because they saw everyone else standing and walking all the time and they wanted to try it too. They were the last ones to be walking obviously, Ron was up and about when he was just over 10 months old and Ginny could stand unsupported by 9 month's walking by 11." she explained.

"Well being the youngest has its advantages and disadvantages." Ginny said, "Like there's always lots more hiding places in hiding seek." she said smirking. "The only downside I can think of is that you usually end up the last one to do something, like you said Mum with the standing and walking thing. Oh your usually the smallest too." she added rolling her eyes as her brothers chuckled, "Shut it you lot." she growled, "Or are you forgetting I'm taller than most of you now?" she added and they fell silent immediately.

Teddy then decided he wanted to crawl around again so Harry placed him down gently and he crawled over to Ginny, "Auny Gin?" he asked.

"Yes Teddy?"

"Wh're Moon?" he asked. Looking around Ginny couldn't see the stuffed toy anywhere.

"Harry have you seen Moon?" she asked trying not to let the shock of another new word out of Teddy's mouth into her tone. Harry shook his head. "Anyone else seen Moon?" they all shook their heads as Teddy's hair went bright red and he began to cry.

"Quick everyone check everywhere he won't be quiet until he has that wolf." Andy said as Harry and Ginny tried to comfort a now red-faced Teddy by bouncing him on Harry's knee while Ginny spoke softly to him, but he wouldn't be soothed.

Suddenly all the lights started flickering on and off and out of nowhere the windows shattered and things started flying around the room. Harry had an idea, he pulled out his wand and cried "Accio Stuffed Wolf!" the wolf came shooting out of nowhere and into his hands he, handed it to Teddy who calmed down almost instantly the moment the wolf touched his hand, his hair back to a tawny brown colour and the lights stopped flickering.

"Wow." James and Sirius said simultaneously as everyone looked around, shocked at the state of the living room.

"Good thinking Harry." Ginny commented looking at Teddy who was resting on Harry's shoulder with one hand around Moon's paw and his thumb on his free hand in his mouth.

"Okay. I'm guessing that was accidental magic?" Draco asked his mother.

"Yes it was." she replied, "Don't you remember any of your tantrums?"

Draco shook his head frowning, "I can't really remember any of my own accidental magic outbursts except one." he said, "It was the one just after my eleventh birthday." he explained going a faint pink colour, "When I made that pudding explode when Pansy was annoying me. You know the one I'm talking about right?" he asked.

Cissy nodded, "I remember that one alright there was cake everywhere, even on the ceiling. Draco are you sure you can't remember any of your outbursts?" he nodded, "Alright come here now please. I think your father put a suppression charm on your memory. I'm just going to check so stand still." she ordered her son who nodded. She took out her wand and waved it a few times murmuring words that sounded Latin, then she finished by tapping Draco on the head sharply.

"Ow!" Draco said but he didn't move as a faint blue light appeared around him showing any long-lasting, permanent or recent magic used on him.

There was a long purple gash that went across his chest, also a dull grey that surrounded his left arm around where the Dark Mark that was branded into his skin was, a few patches of yellow, pink and red surrounding the long purple gash and a sluggish green that surrounded part of his head.

"Hmm, what's that from Draco?" Cissy asked pointing at the purple gash.

"Um... Sectumsempra." Harry shifted uncomfortably and looked down at his knees, still holding Teddy, who had fallen asleep, "Remember you were told by Uncle Sev what happened." he told her, she nodded.

"And those?" she said pointing at the dull yellow, pink and red patches.

"I got hexed." he admitted. Cissy raised her eyebrows at him, "By Daphne." he added.

"Why did she hex you?"

"Mother you know I've been dating her little sister, Astoria, for 8 months now don't you?" she nodded, "Well, long story short we were talking and I accidentally let some... information slip and she hexed me for it. I don't think you need to know what that information was." he said, she just nodded again.

"Have you got any memory of being hit in the head with a spell by your father?" he shook his head "A trip to St. Mungo's for you I think, because that is definitely a spell on your memory." she said making Draco groan.

"I can get it off if you stay still." Andy said, "Don't forget I was a healer until I retired 5 years ago I specialised in mind magic's as well as hexes and jinxes that went wrong. It won't hurt at all." she added to Draco who nodded.

"Wait a minute." Sirius said suddenly, "Why do I recognise that colour?" he asked.

"Because that's the same spell that was on us until your fourth year and my third." Regulus told him frowning, "Our dear old Father decided to put it on us when you were 8 and I was 7." he explained, "Remember we both had them removed when Madame Pomfrey found the traces after that Quidditch match when it was snowing really heavily and no one could see. The one where everyone got injured at least twice."

"Oh yeah..." Sirius replied in a thoughtful voice.

"And it was me who removed it." Andy said smugly, "You two were unconscious with sleeping potions but you were told about it. Cissy don't you remember I removed yours as well when you were 13 after it was discovered on these two?" Cissy nodded.

"Hold on... Isn't that one of the spells that Great Grandfather Orion invented?" Regulus inquired getting nod's from Sirius, Cissy and Andy.

"That's the one Reg." Sirius said. "The one that was called 'The Mind of Childhood be Gone Curse' wasn't it."

"How do you even remember that Sirius?" Cissy said "You never paid attention in any of our lessons as children." Sirius shrugged.

"I think I can answer that one." Remus said, "Padfoot if I asked you what was the name of the potion that transformed the human mind into that of an animal chosen by the brewer of the potion so they are insanely loyal to the brewer and have no chance of recovery?" he asked.

"The Imparitus potion. Why?" Sirius replied confused.

"I know for a fact you weren't paying attention in that class in fifth year, you were talking to Prongs about an upcoming Quidditch match and the next prank we were going to pull." Remus replied smugly as Sirius went a faint pink at Minerva's glare, "I think what has been happening is that if you are being told something while doing something else you remember it with no problems even if your not paying attention." he explained.

"Your probably right Moony. I do that too sometimes." James admitted, "Okay most of the time." he added at Lily's raised eyebrows. Most of the men in the room nodded.

"That's what we did." the twins said pointing at each other.

"I just pretended to pay attention in class." Regulus admitted, "Most of the time I was daydreaming or thinking about other things. But I always remembered all my lessons." Sirius nodded.

"Maybe it's just my imagination, Andy, but does that sound familiar to you?" Cissy asked.

Andy nodded frowning, "It sounds like the one we found in the Black library when we were teenagers."

"We found this charm that was used to make people's memories better whether they payed attention or not. Unfortunately, for some reason, it only worked on boy's." Cissy explained as everyone looked confused.

"I think it may be possible backlash. That spell was destroyed and forgotten about around 10,000 years ago but as it was technically a grey spell not dark like some other mind magic, it was used by all the most prominent pureblood families including the Potter's, Weasley's, Black's, Parkinson's, Nott's, Malfoy's, Zabini's, Greengrass's, Prewett's, Bones's, Longbottom's, Dumbledore's and the Moon's but the Moon's line died out about 40 years ago." Andy told them all. "It is an odd tale. There was a rumour around the hospital when I was still a trainee that something had happened to the son of Brian Moon, who was the last descendant of the line apparently, the tale said the little boy died but no-one ever found a body or anything." she explained.

Remus shifted uncomfortably then sighed. "I think I know that story." he said. "I wasn't born a 'Lupin', I was born a 'Moon', I'm the little boy from that story. I was bitten by Greyback when I was 4, my birth parents were repulsed by what I became every month so they disowned me and shipped me off to my Aunt and Uncle's, they took me in and weren't repulsed. They couldn't have their own children so they adopted me and changed my name to 'Lupin' like their's." he said sadly, looking down at his hands, which were being held by Dora. "I started calling them 'Mum' and 'Dad' when I realised my birth parent's weren't coming back for me and to me they are my real parent's they didn't abandon me when I needed help. As far as I'm concerned I'm a 'Lupin' and not a 'Moon'."

"How come you never said anything before Remus?" James asked softly. Remus shrugged so James let it drop.

"Well thank you for clearing that up Remus..." Andy said softly, he nodded absently, "Anyway this charm apparently carries through blood lines. It doesn't leave any damage so it's safe enough. It would be riskier to try to remove it to be honest." Andy explained. "Now. Stand still Draco it doesn't hurt it will just fell a bit odd." Draco nodded so she pulled out her wand and started chanting in Latin when she was done Draco shook his head.

"That was unpleasant. It felt like having a cloth cleaning my brain." he stated pulling a face, getting chuckles from most in the room.

"That's it gone. It will take 48 hours for your memories to return though." Andy confirmed casting a spell to show his mental health. "Although I would recommend avoiding getting hexed by the big sister of the girl your dating and to avoid getting hit by a Sectumsempra." she added sounding amused as Draco just nodded, looking slightly pink, then he went to sit down again.

"Okay everyone I think we better fix the living room before we continue with the memories." Hermione said looking at the smashed windows and objects on the floor before taking her wand out and casting a "Reparo" on the windows to fix them.

Harry took his wand out and waved it twice above his head like a lasso sending everything back to it's proper place. Once everything was fixed he put Teddy in his playpen, the little boy was still fast asleep.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Magic."

"I know that." Ron frowned. He looked at the wand Harry was still holding, "Oh! I know how you did it now." he said with understanding in his eye's, "That's the you-know-what wand isn't it?"

"Glad you figured it out." Harry snorted, everyone else looked between the two curiously. "I'll explain later." he hurriedly stuffed the wand up his sleeve.

"Hey Lily? Do you remember the day Harry had his first fit of accidental magic?" James asked his wife who nodded.

"Yes, I reckon it's a good thing your fireproof." she replied sounding amused.

"You almost set the house on fire." James added to Harry who went pink when everyone laughed, "I ended up having to run through the fire surrounding your nursery door." he chuckled, "It turned out you had dropped your stuffed bear and had accidentally summoned it but it knocked you over and you bumped your head." he explained with a chuckle.

"Yeah you were only 3 months old and had just learned to sit up yourself without support." Lily added.

"3 month's is a little early to be sitting up alone isn't it?" Andy asked shocked.

"If you knew Harry's power level when he was born you wouldn't say that." James said with a chuckle as Lily nodded, also chuckling.

"What was it?" Cissy asked, "I've never heard of accidental magic that early."

"It was 35 out of 1000 when he was born, when we checked it again when he was 2 month's it was already at 100." Lily said, "We don't know why but it was growing faster than normal." she explained.

"Harry do you know your current power level?" Andy asked. Harry shook his head.

"I know it." James said. "It's 700."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked curiously. "Especially when even I don't know it?"

"Easy when you were 9 months old and we had to keep putting out fires around the house we looked up spell's that could help us and we put a temporary block on your magic untill you could control it. The block stopped your power level going above 700 until I or another magical blood relative, on my side, removes it but I will warn you it hurts, quite a bit to have the block removed. It's like a weaker version of the Cruciatus." he added, "I've had it done as well and the pain lasts for about a minute."

"The Potter's have always been high up on the power scale though." Regulus said thoughtfully, "Same as the Weasley's, Black's and Malfoy's according to the record books. I know the Blacks have always been between 500 and 850."

"Mine was at 845 last time it was checked when I was 21." Sirius put in, "Reg yours was at 820 just before you died. I found our book of records at Grimmauld Place and that updated our levels automatically every 3 years." he explained.

"The Weasley's have always been between 500 and 700." Arthur put in from the other side of the room. "All of you are in the higher 600's except Ginny for some reason." he informed his children.

"What am I at then?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Oddly enough Ginny, the last time we checked your level, which was a few months ago, it was up at 790." Molly told her.

"We have no idea why but your level is apparently still growing rapidly. It usually slows down at 17 and there's only a little bit of time left until your birthday." Arthur explained.

"Can we know all our level's?" Bill asked getting nods from his brothers. "Since you told Ginny her's." he added.

"Of course dears, you only had to ask, but it's only the levels that they were at when you were 17, well Bill yours is from when you were 21 and so is Charlie's and Percy's." Molly explained. "Bill yours was 675. Charlie yours was 676. Percy yours was at 678. Fred and George your's were both at 780. Ron your's was still growing steadily but was at 680 the last time we checked just after your 17th. We also have an automatic record book that updates your level's every 3 years like the Black family. We just checked by ourselves at important ages like 11, 14, 17 and 21." Molly said.

"I can remember my father saying Malfoy's were always between 500 and 650." Draco added. "But I don't know my own."

"Yours was at 650 last time I checked it Draco." Cissy told her son, who nodded. "Andy do you know our levels?" she asked her big sister. Andy frowned and shook her head.

"I know your's as well. Dora I saw yours too." Sirius admitted. "Do you want to know them?" the three nodded, "Andy your was at 845 same as me. Cissy yours was at 820 same as Reg. Dora yours was at 850." he told them. "But all of our levels were still growing funnily enough." he added sounding amused.

"The Potter's are always between 700 and 995. Like mines was up at 980 when I was 20, I'm not sure if it has grown any more since then though." James explained, "Like the Black family and the Weasley's we had a record book that updated automatically but ours updates every year on the person's birthday. The only person recorded at 1000 was Merlin. The Dumbledore's were only between 600 and 100 I found that out during the research on the block's but if you want Harry I can remove the block and teach you how to control the powers the block suppresses. But it will be later obviously." he said.

"What kind of power's?" Harry asked.

"Um, I'll need to think about how to say it without missing parts out. Can I explain more fully just before dinner? That should give me enough time to think about how to say it and not mix up my words." James said.

Harry nodded. "Okay Dad."

"Hey James do you know what my level was at?" Lily asked suddenly.

"Yeah yours was at 975 on your 21st birthday." he replied, she nodded.

"I know mine was at 750 when I was 17." Remus said. "Madame Pomfrey told me when I was last in the hospital wing as a student." he explained, "Dora what was Teddy's when he was born?" he asked.

"It was at 30. Being Metamorphmagus's gives us a small power boost." she explained, "We can check it again when he's awake. After that burst of magic it will need to settle into its new level." she explained.

"Isn't it a bit ironic that some of the most powerful witches and wizards in the world are all in this room right now, talking about power levels." Hermione commented making everyone chuckle and nod.

"Hey Hermione do you know what yours is at?" Ron asked she shook her head.

"Madame Pomfrey will know it." Minerva said, "She knows every students so its easier to treat any injures they have that need certain levels of power put into the treatment to be effective. She has a big book in her office that automatically updates all the current and past student's power levels every time they change. I will ask her for it if you would like." she offered, Hermione nodded. "Since everyone here knows theirs now it would only be fair that you know yours too. I know when I got injured 3 and a bit years ago mine was up at 910." Minerva added. "Harry your father was right about your's by the way. Madame Pomfrey was concerned that yours stopped growing when you were 13, we didn't know about the block." she explained glaring at James, who shrugged.

"We weren't planning on getting killed." he said defensively, "Or we would have told someone. It was just too dangerous not to use a block on Harry's magic." he explained.

"It's true. Myself, Remus and Sirius couldn't go anywhere near him when he was upset because of the fire that used to spring up around him, also if we picked him up he would burn us. Accidentally of course." Lily said. "It had to be James who calmed him down as he's fireproof."

"What do you mean by fireproof?" Percy asked.

"I'll explain later when I'm explaining about the powers Harry could get if he wants the block removed." James said.

"That sound's reasonable. In the meantime why don't we continue with the memories?" Harry suggested going to the pensive and putting more memories into it when everyone nodded.

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><p>AN: Review please x

P.S I know Teddy seems a bit advanced for 5 months old but it's really boring having him unable to say a few words or just having him lying sleeping or just _there_ all of the time! (Dont want to spoil anything but it might be explained later, either in this one or the sequels I plan to write)

P.P.S I also like the idea of magical children being way more advanced due to their accidental magic helping them, after all it has to go somewhere when they're not having outbursts since they cant control it yet, so its possible I'll make Teddy into a 'superbaby' of sorts since he's got Metamorphmagus blood and Werewolf blood as well as his own magic I figure that gives him a decent boost.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - First Year (Part 3)

5th, August, 1998.

"Okay everyone were skipping to the night of the duel." Harry said.

**Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."**

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today.**

"No worries! We always did that!" Sirius said cheerfully.

**On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy, face to face. He couldn't miss it.**

**"Half past eleven," Ron muttered at last. "We'd better go."**

**They pulled on their dressing-gowns, picked up their wands and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them: "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink dressing-gown and a frown.**

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

"That wasn't very polite Ron." Molly scolded.

"I know. Sorry 'Mione." he said. Hermione just smiled and cuddled into him.

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped. "Percy - he's a Prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

"I would have." Percy nodded. "But you'd probably sneak out when I wasn't looking."

Harry and Ron grinned at each other then looked at Percy still grinning, "How'd you know we'd do that?" they asked together.

"Simple, because you were 11 and determined to prove to Draco that you would show up and beat him in a fight." Percy awnsered them sounding amused.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

"I was only trying to stop you from breaking rules." Hermione said to the boys who nodded. "Besides I think it worked the other way around. You two showed me that it can be fun to break the rules and that some rules are meant to be broken." she added so only Ron and Harry heard her, they smirked at her.

"Us breaking rules, wherever did you get that idea Hermione? We have always followed the rules that are worth following." Harry said mock-hurt. Everyone laughed at him being over dramatic especially the Marauders.

"That is the exact same thing your father told me." Lily said. "In our 7th year."

"It's true though we looked up the school rules and we followed most of them. It's not against the rules to pull pranks and there were definatly no rules about having fun, the main rules we broke were the ones that stopped us playing pranks like everyone in thier dorms by curfew, brewing potions in our dorm or somewhere else and the no magic in the corridors rule was broken constantly but almost everyone breaks that rule. We just streatched the rest of the rules to the limit." James explained.

"I never actually noticed that so maybe some of your detentions were undeserved." Minerva said. "The rules really do need updated they haven't been changed for about a century. All the previous headmaster's and headmistresses just added more rules and left the old ones." she said toughtfully.

**"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily.**

**She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"Merlin, I was a pain!" said Hermione.

"True, but you were only trying to help." Ron smiled.

**"Go away."**

**"All right, but I warned you, you must remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -"**

**But what they were, they didn't find out.**

"I was going to say immature." Hermione said.

"We would have pointed out that we were 11 and allowed to be immature." Harry said smirking.

**Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting.**

**The Fat Lady had gone on a night-time visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."**

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them. "I'm coming with you," she said.**

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you and you can back me up."**

"Won't work. He never believes the students." Fred said as George and the Marauders nodded.

**"You've got some nerve -" said Ron loudly.**

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."**

"Them arguing?" Remus suggested.

"It's usually them arguing but not this time." Harry said simply looking amused when Ron and Hermione glared at him. Everyone laughed.

**It was a sort of snuffling. "Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked awake as they crept nearer. "Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new password to get into bed."**

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

**"How's your arm?" said Harry.**

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

**"Good - well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later -"**

"Just going to leave him there?" Lily asked.

**"Don't leave me" said Neville, scrambling to his feet. "I don't want to stay here alone, The Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. "If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learnt that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and used it on you."**

"Curse of the what?" James said.

"Bogies." said Ginny. "It's the bat-bogey hex, my speciality."

"Yeah." all the Weasley boy's and Harry said together then shuddering, remembering the times they had been hexed by Ginny with the bat-bogey hex.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,**

They snickered.

"I wasn't actually, I was going to say 'We'll be quiet' I didn't want to get caught and I'm guessing Neville didn't either." Hermione said.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

**They flitted along the corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed towards the trophy room. Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet.**

"Your not gonna show up are you?" asked Regulus. Draco shook his head.

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.**

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

"Or maybe I was never going to come in the first place." Draco said, looking at his knees.

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak - and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

"Filch." the twins groaned.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris.**

"I hate that cat!" James said.

"I hate most cats!" said Sirius. "I think your cat, Crookshanks, was the only one I actually liked." he told Hermione who smiled. "Whatever happened to him anyway?"

"He's outside somewhere, probably chasing the gnomes." she replied smiling fondly.

**Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently towards the door away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

**"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run - he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armour.**

"Uh oh!" cried Sirius, "RUN!"

"I think they realize that, Padfoot." said Remus.

"I'll give you a warning this will be loud." Harry said. "So cover your ears." he told Remus and Ginny who did as he advised.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

Harry who had covered his ears removed his hands from his ears and Remus and Ginny copied him.

"Bet we were louder when we knocked down the suits of armour." James said smirking.

"Yeah, but there's a difference between that and this." Sirius said.

"What?" the twins asked.

"We did that on purpose." said Remus.

"Oh yeah. 4am wasn't it?" James said.

"Yeah." said Remus.

"Classic." said Sirius.

"I knew it was you Marauders but I couldn't punish you without proof." Minerva said scowling. They just grinned at her.

**"RUN!" Harry yelled and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following - they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead without any idea where they were or where they were going.**

"That's never good." said Remus.

"Much more fun than knowing, though." Sirius pointed out.

"Yes it is." Harry agreed.

**They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

"Good." Lily said.

**"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead.**

**Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

**"I - told - you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest. "I - told - you."**

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

"Way to state the obvious Ron." George chortled.

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry.**

"Noooooo... did you think we hadn't figured that out yet?" Harry said sarcastically making Hermione go pink and everyone else chuckle.

**"You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.**

"Stupid boys and their pride." Lily muttered.

**"Let's go."**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. It was Peeves.**

**He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

**"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out."**

"Oh no." Sirius started.

**Peeves cackled.**

"Not good." James finished.

**"Wandering around at midnight, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

"Pleading isn't going to help." Remus sighed.

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittering wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

James snorted, "Saintly, yeah right."

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves -**

"You should never, ever do that to Peeves!" Fred said worriedly.

**This was a big mistake.**

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"**

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for thier lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door - and it was locked.**

"Just your luck!" groaned Lily.

"Alohomora it!" said James.

"They wouldn't have learnt that yet, James." said Lily worriedly, missing Hermione's smirk.

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"Dramatic lot of firsties, weren't you?" Dora asked making the Golden Trio go pink.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could towards Peeves's shouts.**

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled.**

"Please tell me you know Alohomora!" said James. No one awnsered him.

**She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock and whispered, "Alohomora!"**

"Damn, you were good for a firstie!" Regulus commented.

"Thank you." said Hermione blushing slightly.

**The lock clicked and the door swung open - they piled through it, shut it quickly and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying.**

"They're safe!" sighed James.

"But Filch is there!" said Dora.

"Peeves would never tell Filch. He hates him more than any of us!" Sirius told her as the other two Marauders and the twins nodded.

**"Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please'."**

"I can sense a joke coming on." George announced.

**"Don't mess me about, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying sing-song voice.**

**"All right - please."**

**"NOTHING!" Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please!"**

"We taught him that, didn't we?" James asked his two best friends grinning. Remus and Sirius nodded grinning back at him.

**"Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

**"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be OK - get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's dressing-gown for the last minute. "What?"**

**Harry turned around - and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare - this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

"Oh, Merlin! What could be worse than Filch?" gasped James.

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor.**

"Great! We get to see what's there now!" Draco said. "I never did find out." he added.

**And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

"Oh Merlin." Dora muttered. "What is it?"

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog which filled the whole space between the ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs**

"That." said James, almost comically.

"So thats how you three found out about 'Fluffy'?" Minerva asked the Trio.

"Yup." they replied at the same time.

"'Fluffy'?" Cissy asked increduously.

"He's Hagrid's." Minerva explained. "Hagrid always calls his pets names opposite how dangerous they are." she mused. "A coward of a dog called 'Fang' and a hell hound called 'Fluffy'."

"Yeah that's true." Harry said nodding "It's always the pets with fierce names that are gentle and the ones with nice names you have to look out for."

"Exept Buckbeak, he was gentle enough for a Hippogriff." Sirius smiled.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Harry groped for the doorknob - between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.**

"Good choice." the twins said wide-eyed.

**They fell backwards - Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared - all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster.**

"Another good idea." Remus said.

"Even we wouldn't want to be near that thing!" James exclaimed.

**They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their dressing-gowns hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

"Why does she bother asking?" James asked, "Nobody ever tells her."

**"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling into armchairs. It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

"Poor thing." Lily cooed, "He must be terrified."

"You know, I think we all were!" said Ron sardonically.

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

James snorted.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again.**

"Crap." the twins muttered.

**"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"His feet?" asked Sirius incredulously. "I think they might have been just a tad preoccupied with its heads!"

**"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at it's feet, I was too busy with it's heads."**

Everyone laughed at the similarity while Sirius grinned at his godson.

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

**She stood up, glaring at them. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

"You have got to sort out your priorities." Sirius snorted.

"I already have." she snapped at him.

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open. "No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"**

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something... What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts. It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"Your not gonna tell us what it is are you?" Dora asked.

"Nope." the Trio replied cheerfully making everyone, exept Minerva who knew what it was, groan.

"Can you give us a clue?" Charlie asked.

"Well it has something to do with Nicolas Flammel." Hermione said after she had a whispered conversation with the other two.

"I've heard that name before." Lily said frowning.

"So have I. But I can't remember where." Dora commented as the rest of the room nodded.

"You will just have to wait untill we find out then." Harry said happily, making them groan again. "I think that's enough memories for today we should finish our first year tomorrow night or the next afternoon." he added.

They all nodded and they decided to have dinner so they all moved through to the kitchen where James explained what he had promised to explain while the women were cooking.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - The Power Unblocked.

5th, August, 1998.

"So Dad you said earlier that I have a block on my magic and If I wanted it removed you would teach me how to control the powers it suppresses?" Harry asked. James nodded. "What kind of powers?" he asked curiously.

"Well I don't think you ever found this out, as it's not wildly known, but the Potter family is actually descended from Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw." James said. There was a shocked silence.

"We're descended from three founders of Hogwarts?" Harry finally asked. James nodded.

"Yes. We have all the lines power's as well that's why were so high up on the power scale." James explained, "Like Godric Gryffindor's ability to control fire and conjour it wandlessly. That's what Lily meant by I'm 'fireproof'." James then proceeded to lift his hand and clicked his fingers, a small orange flame appeared on the end of his index finger.

"Wow." Harry said. "Your not joking are you?"

"Of course not." James replied, "The powers from the other lines are Ravenclaw's power to see into the future, it only work's if you are actually looking for something and the visions can always change if someone changes thier mind, though. We also get Ravenclaw's ability to see magic, if we use the phrase 'Indica mihi, est in magiam', which is 'Reveal the magic to me now' in Latin, then we can see where magic has been used recently or ages ago. There's another line descended from Ravenclaw, I can't remember the family name though." James explained, "From Hufflepuff's line we get the power of trust, people and animals tend to trust us easier. There's a few more but it's mainly small stuff those are just the major points." he said with a grin.

"Wow." Harry repeated.

Everyone else was sitting in silence still getting over the shock of what James had said. Only Remus, Sirius and Lily had known about it so they weren't all that shocked by James's announcement.

"I think that I need some time to think about it and to let that information sink in." Harry stated.

"Hey Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that's what Dumbledore meant by saying you're a true Gryffindor the last time we saw his portrait?" she asked.

"It's possible." Harry replied frowning, "I'd have to ask him." she nodded. "He said something similar when I was in second year too. He said 'Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat.' when I pulled Gryffindor's Sword out of the hat."

"Hmm... Did I ever tell Dumbledore?" James asked sounding thoughtful.

"Not as far as I know." Lily answered as Remus and Sirius shook their heads.

"You didn't Prongs." Sirius said.

"Then he didn't know it's impossible to find out without our family tapestry and that's locked up in the family vault. My parents wouldn't have told him or they would have told me that he knew. He may have guessed but he shouldn't know for sure." James stated.

"You know about him right?" Harry asked.

"We saw him in the afterlife a few times." Lily nodded sadly. "He couldn't tell us anything about how he died though."

"You'll find out later... It's hard to explain it." Harry said.

There was a short silence, but not an uncomfortable one, when Hermione spoke up.

"I've been reading up on soul bond's like you two have." she told Harry and Ginny. "Apparently it includes a few different things. Like you can talk telepathically, after some requirements are met I'll give you the details later, and you will be able to feel what the other is feeling." They nodded. "Also there is a few other things that will happen when you solidify the bond by getting married." she explained, "But I need to read up more on it. There's not a lot of information available in the book I have."

"Well it would be good to find out what the details are but as long as we know the whole 'I can hear your thoughts' thing is normal for a soul bond, I'm okay with it." Ginny said making everyone laugh, and Harry nod.

"It could be useful." Harry commented just as dinner was served.

After dinner Bill and Fleur left for home as Fleur wasn't feeling very well, the twins had disappeared up to their room, so had Percy with Charlie following him and Minerva returned to Hogwarts.

So It was only Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, James, Lily, Molly, Arthur, Sirius, Regulus, Remus, Dora, Andy, Cissy and Draco left sitting in the living room chatting.

"Hey Mum?" Ginny asked.

"Yes dear?"

"You said earlier that my power level was still growing quite fast. What age does it normally stop growing at?" she asked.

"Usually it slows down at 17 then it stops growing at 21. Why?" Molly replied.

"Well isn't it a bit odd that mine is still growing?" she said frowning.

"A little but it has happened before." Andy told her, "It's probably because you are the first female Weasley to be born in a few generations. It was like that with a few other families I've seen as well." she explained. "No one knows why it happens, it just does."

Ginny nodded in understanding.

"How do you check your power level if you don't have a book that does it for you?" Hermione asked.

"Well it's a really old spell that's used." Remus said. "It causes a number to appear on your wand hand's wrist, because that's where your magic flows the most, the number just fades into your skin after 30 seconds though." he explained.

Just then Teddy woke up and shouted, "UNCA DRAY!" and Draco went over to him and scooped him up.

"What's with the shouting?" he asked Teddy, who giggled his hair going yellow with happiness, while going over to sit back down with Teddy on his knee.

"Well it's good to see someone's feeling better after that little tantrum." Ron said.

"Yeah definitely a good thing." Dora commented smiling as Teddy started to bounce on Draco's knee. "Full of energy again then." she added.

"I wonder if Teddy will like Shadow." Harry mused aloud.

"Why not try him then?" Remus suggested. Harry nodded.

"Hey Teddy look at Uncle Harry." Draco said spinning Teddy around and pointing at Harry who was now standing in the middle of the room. Then it wasn't Harry standing there, it was Shadow.

Teddy looked confused before he smiled and clapped, "Wolf! Unca Har Wolf!" he squealed happily. Draco put him down on the ground where he crawled over to Shadow and looked up. Ginny got off the sofa and knelt beside Shadow and picked Teddy up so he could see Shadow's face better.

Teddy giggled as Ginny took his hand and helped him pet Shadow's head gently.

"Teddy this is Shadow can you say 'Shadow'?" Ginny asked.

"Sh-ad-ow." Teddy said carefully, "Auny Gin? Unca Har, wolf, Sh-ad-ow?" he said looking confused.

"Yes Teddy this wolf is Uncle Harry and Shadow." she replied smiling making Teddy clap happily.

"Teddy?" Dora said, "Dada's a wolf too." she told him nudging Remus who got up and went to stand beside Shadow.

"Do you want to see Dada's wolf Teddy?" Remus asked him.

"Dada wolf." Teddy said smiling.

Remus changed into Moony and sat down next to Shadow who changed back to Harry and took Teddy then he helped Ginny up with one hand.

Teddy never took his eyes off Remus and he giggled when he saw Moony, "Dada wolf! Dada wolf!" he said clapping again.

"You know he's probably just going to call you that now right?" Harry told Moony, the wolf nodded nuzzling Teddy's tummy with his nose making the little boy giggle even more.

Moony changed back into Remus who Teddy reached for so Remus took him from Harry, "Dada." Teddy said, "Wet." he announced.

"I'm guessing it's my turn to change you then?" he said getting the changing mat, wipes and a fresh nappy out of the changing bag and going up to the bathroom.

"How did Teddy become so obsessed with wolves anyway?" Regulus asked.

"That was Harry's fault." Andy said. "He bought Teddy that stuffed wolf and it became his comfort toy, he refuses to go to sleep without it. As you saw earlier he cries if he cant see it." she explained as Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Oh well it's his favourite now." he said making everyone laugh, Remus walked in with Teddy and sat down beside Dora. "Anyway I've been thinking eventually we will have to tell the Minister you guys are back." he said, the mood turning serious, "I was thinking we do it just after we finish my first year memories and I'll ask Minerva if she can be a witness as she saw you come through the portal but wasn't here for the first meeting." he explained.

"What about me. I'm technically still an escaped convict." Sirius said looking worried, "Whether I died or not." he added.

"Don't worry the Minister know's your innocent and he will be coming here not the other way around." Harry said soothingly.

"Um, who is the minister?" Regulus asked.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt." Ginny said.

"Really?" Dora asked shocked then she grinned, "Good for him." she said.

"Yes, he was voted Minister at the end of the war." Hermione said.

"He's the only Minister any of us have actually liked and fully supported." Arthur added with Molly nodding next to him.

"He's also the only minister who I've not argued with," Harry added making those who knew what he meant smile, "and the first one in a few years that knows what he's doing."

"He gave us fair trials too." Cissy said pointing to Draco then herself. "Otherwise we'd be in Azkaban right now. We never actually broke any laws or used any of the Unforgivable curses, successfully in Draco's case as he'd attempted them." she shrugged.

"The only thing we got was a few fines. One for me accepting the Dark Mark which I didn't really want anyway." Draco added, "One for housing Voldemort and escaped prisoners and for housing people who had been kidnapped. One for any and all dark magic we used or attempted too." he explained.

"But if you think about it you really didn't have a choice." Andy said frowning, "Cissy when I was leaving do you remember what I said to you?"

Cissy nodded, "You said to me to do whatever it takes to stay safe."

"And at that time what was the safest thing to do?"

"It was to listen to our parents and to listen to Bella." Cissy replied not seeing where this was going.

"Yes it was. So you went through with the marriage to Lucius who was already a Death Eater and therefore it's his fault you had to obey Voldemort to avoid getting killed." Andy said making Cissy nod again.

"It is true that I've never really believed the whole blood status supremacy thing and I've never believed that all half-breeds are disgusting or evil, we're all human at the end of the day." Cissy said. "It was actually an arranged marriage to Lucius anyway. I'm glad Draco was born though." she added.

"Congratulations Cissy, I was beginning to think me and Andy were the only Blood-Traitors in the Black family since Great Uncle Alphred died." Sirius said cheerfully.

"I believed in it at first but, I don't now." Draco added.

"Same here, I was obsessed with it." Regulus said going red, "But now I think its all a load of rubbish."

"Hey, Andy, it look's like we're not the only Blood-Traitors anymore." Sirius announced cheerfully.

"Well it is nice to know we have a few more family members on our side." she replied sounding amused.

"Anyway you know Kingsley will be fair." Harry said. "Plus he knows I wouldn't lie about something like this. I think as long as it's explained to him properly he should accept that I'm telling the truth." he explained.

"Kingsley will listen Harry but will we tell him about being Lycan's and if we do exactly how much should we let him tell the public?" Ginny questioned.

"Hmm... We will need to tell him... We can tell the public the main fact's but ask Kingsley to edit some details, like about us talking to Death." he replied. "But we should definitely tell him the whole story and show him the memories so he knows its true. I don't know about you but I think we should make being Lycan's public. Think about how many werewolves we can help cure especially the amount of kids who are bitten." he explained.

"Your right." Ginny sighed, "So we will make being Lycan's a public thing we should write down all the information we know about them and how to be changed into one." she said making Harry nod.

There was a short time while everyone thought about what it would be like after everything was revealed.

"Dad?" Harry asked.

"Yeah?"

"I've thought about it and I think I would like to have the block on my magic removed." he said.

"Okay do you want me to remove it now?" James asked Harry nodded so James stood up and motioned for Harry to stand in front of him. "Remember this hurts a bit for about a minute." he warned.

"I'm fine with a bit of pain." Harry shrugged.

"Okay if your sure." James put his hands on Harry's shoulder and started chanting in Latin, he stopped after about 5 minute's. Harry felt the pain and grimaced before it faded.

"I thought you said the pain would last for a minute?" Harry asked.

"You mean its not there anymore?" James said looking confused. "Odd."

"Harry it will be our accelerated healing powers." Ginny said.

"Oh yeah... that makes sence." he said.

"It will take a few days for your power level to settle down again." James told his son smiling.

"I can wait." Harry stated simply. "In the meantime I think it's time for bed, we have quite a few memories to sort through."

"All of you are welcome to stay the night by the way." Molly told Andy, Cissy, Draco, Remus and Dora, "It is quite late and we have a few guest room's not being used. Remus and Dora you two could take one with Teddy in beside you and Andy and Cissy you could take another. Draco you could go in beside Harry and Ron if you don't mind sharing. There's bedclothes in the cupboards you can use."

"It's probably for the best." Andy nodded, "It'll stop people seeing you two and panicking." she told Remus and Dora.

They nodded, "Thank's Molly." Remus said to her smiling while handing Teddy, who had fallen asleep at one point, to Dora. "It's appreciated." the others nodded as they stood and stretched before they all went up to bed for the night.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - First Year (Part 3.5)

6th, August, Friday, 1998.

The next morning at 9am, once everyone had had breakfast and were seated around the living room waiting on Minerva, Bill and Fleur had arrived a few minutes earlier, a large eagle owl swooped in through the window and landed on Cissy's knee holding out its leg which had a letter attached to it.

"Hmm... I wonder what that is. I wasn't expecting any mail." she explained while untying the letter. She eventually got it off and the owl went back out the window. She cautiously opened the envelope and pulled out two letter's, one for her and the other addressed to Draco who took the letter for him. They both started to read them in silence.

Once they finished they looked up.

"That's my divorce to Lucius been finalised. I am a Black again not a Malfoy." Cissy said happily while Andy hugged her.

"And this is the finalization on my name as well." Draco added. "I am now Draco Regulus Black." he announced prompting Andy and Cissy to hug him.

"Wooohooo." Sirius cheered happily. "You hear that Reg? Were not the last males with the second name Black anymore!"

"I'd noticed." Regulus said laughing at his big brothers actions. "Congratulations Draco." he added to his little cousin who nodded at him.

Just then Minerva came through the Floo, "Good morning everyone." she greeted, "What have I missed."

"Both Draco's and my own name's have been changed to Black as of today, we got the finalization letters about two minutes ago." Cissy said.

"Congratulations." Minerva said to both of them, they nodded.

"Alright everyone we will continue the memories from the morning after we found Fluffy." Harry said, once everyone was seated he put a few strands of memory in the Pensive.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts next day,**

"Shocking isn't it?" Sirius asked.

"Oh yes, stunning. Never would have thought." said James. Draco rolled his eyes.

**looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure and they were quite keen to have another one**

Lily muttered something to Dora that sounded to most of the room like, "Just like his father!" making some of them chuckle and James glare at his wife.

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"Or both." said James.

**"Or both," said Harry.**

"Harry agrees!" James cheered as Harry grinned at his father.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

"I'm with him." Lily said as the other women (and a few of the men) nodded.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived with the post about a week later.**

"Good." Sirius and James said.

"Don't you guys want to know what it is before you say good?" Harry asked.

"Nope, it has to be good if it helps you get back at that git." James said, making Draco glare at him, "I said 'that git' your not a git anymore." he added making Draco nod grudgingly.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by long thin package carried by six large screech owls.**

**Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor.**

"Must be a broomstick!" said James excitedly.

"Calm down, before you wet yourself, Prongs!" said Remus chuckling. James glared at him as everyone else laughed.

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**

**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everyone knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one.**

"Lucky I didn't open the broom first then." said Harry.

**Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your first training session.**

**Professor M. McGonagall**

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."**

**They left the Hall quickly, wanting to un-wrap the broomstick in private before their first lesson, but halfway across the Entrance Hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first-years aren't allowed them."**

"Nope, you aren't allowed broomsticks. Harry is special. He gets one." said Sirius cheekily.

"Siri stop picking on Draco." Regulus said whacking his big brother on the head. Sirius pouted as Draco smirked.

**Ron couldn't resist it. "It's not any old broomstick," he said,**

James and Sirius grinned.

**"It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?"**

"Comet's are okay, but Nimbus' beat them easily." James said knowledgeably.

**Ron grinned at Harry. "Comet's look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."**

"Sorry. Again." Draco said raising his hands in surrender to the annoyed glares he was receiving.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow. "Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

"Nope, just talking politely like good little boys." snorted Sirius.

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

"Tattletale." James grumbled.

"I only wanted to get Harry in trouble." Draco said, looking guilty and ashamed at the same time. "Sorry Harry."

Harry shrugged, "I did it to you as well." he admitted.

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face.**

They all grinned, except Draco who pouted.

**"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

"That there is shoving it in at its best!" said James proudly, as Harry grinned.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase. "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Rememberall I wouldn't be on the team..."**

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them.**

"And here come Hermione to tell us off. Again." Harry said in an announcers voice making Hermione go red and the others laugh.

**Hermione was stomping up the stairs looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hands.**

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.**

**"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory, where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch pitch where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without even noticing what he was eating and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

"Yes! He's going to play Quidditch!" James cried happily.

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled on to Harry's bedspread. Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

"Wow," breathed James. "Wish mine was as great as that when I was on the team." the other's who had been on the Quidditch team when they were younger nodded in agreement.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off towards the Quidditch pitch in the dusk. He'd never been inside the stadium before.**

**Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the pitch so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the pitch were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

"Bubbles?" James asked. "Through hoops?"

Sirius grinned and began explaining. "There is this liquid, soapy sort of thing, and they put a small stick with the hoop at the end in it, and you blow, and the soapy stuff is stuck inside the hoop, and when you blow there's bubbles!" he said excitedly.

"How'd you know that Siri?" Regulus asked.

"Well I did take Muggle studies." he replied.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you took that." Cissy said.

"I took it too come to think about it." James added. "I just didn't pay much attention."

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling -**

"Isn't it?" James sighed. The others who were on their house team's nodded.

**he swooped in and out of the goalposts and then sped up and down the pitch. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

**"Hey, Potter, come down!" Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him. "Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural."**

"'Course he is!" said the Marauders.

"We were shocked the first time we saw him fly during practice." Fred said.

"It wasn't just us. The other's were shocked too. Don't you remember the girls screamed when we saw him go into a dive the first time?" George asked.

"Oh yeah. I can't forget that I swear I had problems hearing for the rest of the week." Fred replied as Harry blushed.

**"I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

**"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a football.**

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try to get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So - that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

**"What's basketball?"**

"Good question." James said.

"Muggle sport. Absolutely brilliant!" said Regulus. "Played it with some Muggle boys that we played with when we snuck out one summer." he said pointing to himself then Sirius.

"Anyway, it's five people on each team." Sirius explained.

"Only five?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. And they bounce the ball on the ground, and pass it to each other, and try to shoot it through a round net thing. Brilliant game." Regulus said.

"Sounds pretty good. But there's no flying in it." James pointed out.

**said Wood curiously.**

**"Never mind," said Harry quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper"**

Remus grinned. "I was the Gryffindor keeper when Rodger Wood left." he told those who didn't know.

**"- I'm the Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. OK, got that. So what are they for?" he pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a rounders bat**

"Like a what bat?" asked James.

"Don't look at me. I've never heard of it," said Sirius.

"It's... umm..." Hermione looked at Harry for help, but he shrugged, "There is one person, the pitcher, who throws the ball at a person with the bat, the batter, and if he hits the ball, he has to run around these four plates called bases. Get to the last base and you score a point." Hermione explained. "It's a little complicated to explain the rules."

"I like the part with the bat." said Sirius, grinning.

"You would." Lily scoffed.

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are Bludgers."**

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

"I love the Bludgers." Sirius grinned

"You would, you're almost part Bludger yourself." Remus said.

"Thanks Moony!" said Sirius happily.

"Not sure that was a compliment, Paddy." said James.

"I'll take is as a compliment anyway." he replied shrugging.

**"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers. At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face.**

"Scary when they do that." Draco said.

**Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it breaking his nose**

"That's a good idea." said Sirius.

**and sent it zig-zagging away into the air - it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team. The Weasley twins are ours -"**

"You two are great beaters!" said Sirius. "I've seen you play once or twice." he added clearing up their confusion.

"Thank you." they replied smiling brightly.

**"it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them towards the other team. So - think you've got all that?"**

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goalposts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

"Not at Hogwarts" James assured him.

"Broken the odd bone or two, but no one's died." said Sirius.

"They have caused serious injury before though." Minerva commented, "I was a chaser when I was in school -" she ignored the shocked looks she got, "- and I've had worse than a broken bone or two." she said, "Once I got knocked off my broom and fell about 20 feet. I broke both my legs, an arm and my collarbone." she added. "I ended up in St Mungo's for internal bleeding for two weeks after that match."

**"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers -"**

"Unless the Bludgers are coming towards me." Harry said.

"Yeah, like in your second year?" Fred asked. Harry nodded.

"I got hit by a Bludger in my second year and it broke my arm, you will find out the rest later." Harry told those who hadn't heard about or seen that match as they looked confused.

**"- unless they crack my head open."**

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers - I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

"That we are." the twins chorused.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see."**

"Not for an expert seeker it isn't." James said happily.

"And that's Harry!" said Sirius looking at his blushing godson proudly.

**"It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages - I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. Well, that's it - any questions?"**

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right; it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate. "It's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you with a few of these."**

**He pulled out a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket, and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the ball as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.**

**Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted.**

"Skipping to Halloween." Harry said smiling. "This is the day we became friends with Hermione." he added grinning at Hermione, who grinned back.

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.**

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).**

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger.**

**It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skywards just lay on the desktop.**

"Guess you didn't get my Charms skills." sighed Lily.

"I'm better now." Harry told her making her smile.

**Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it -**

"We almost did that, didn't we Prongs?" asked Sirius.

"No almost about it Paddy. You made it blow up." Remus said sounding amused.

**Harry had to put it out with his hat. Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

**"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Win-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad temper by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor.**

"That's a bit harsh." Andy said frowning.

**"She's a nightmare, honestly." Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.**

"Uh Oh." Regulus sighed.

"That can't be good." said Sirius.

**Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

"Sorry 'Mione." Ron said putting an arm around her.

"S'okay." she mumbled into his shoulder.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' toilets and wanted to be left alone.**

**Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles and pumpkins skitter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a jacket potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table and gasped. "Troll - in the dungeons -"**

"Troll?" Dora asked.

"In the dungeons?" Regulus questioned. "How'd that get in?"

"Who knows." Minerva sighed. "I never did find out who let it in."

"We know but we ain't telling." Harry said pointing at the other two members of the Golden Trio making them all groan.

**"thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

"And that's their brave Defense teacher!" said Sirius sarcastically.

**There was uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

"That was a bad idea. The Slytherin common room is in the Dungeons!" Draco exclaimed.

**Percy was in his element.**

**"Follow me! Stick together, first-years! no need to fear the troll if you follow my orders!"**

"You would save us from a troll how Perce?" Ron asked smirking. Percy shrugged going pink.

**"Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first-years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"**

**"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"I suppose." Lily said doubtfully.

"I don't think Peeves would do that," said James. "He does has some sort of boundaries."

"Yeah." Sirius agreed, "He does."

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm. "I've just thought - Hermione."**

**"What about her?"**

**"She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip. "Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

"I didn't even notice you two sneaking off." Percy groaned.

"That's a good thing Perce." Ron smirked.

"No. It's bad." Molly frowned, "Especially with a troll on the loose."

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor and hurried off towards the girls' toilets. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

"Busted!" James sighed.

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape.**

**He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. "What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. "He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?"**

"Uh-oh... " gulped James.

"That must be..." continued Sirius.

"The troll." they both finished.

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

**They wrinkled their noses.**

"That is disgusting." Dora muttered.

**And then they heard it - a low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed: at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving towards them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

Everyone who hadn't seen a troll before looked shocked and most of the women screamed.

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

**"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"But..." began James.

"Isn't that..." Sirius added.

"The girls bathroom?" Remus finished, horrified.

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously. They edged towards the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door and lock it. "Yes!"**

"No..." Remus moaned.

**Flushed with their victory they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop - A high, petrified scream - and it was coming from the chamber they'd just locked up.**

"Oh Merlin!" Lily cried, as Hermione rounded on Harry and Ron.

"You locked it in with me!" she demanded.

"Sorry 'Mione." they chorused, "We didn't know it was the girls bathroom." Harry added.

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' toilets!" Harry gasped.**

**"Hermione!" they said together. It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?**

"Your not going to...?" began Lily.

"Oh yes we are!" said Harry happily.

**Wheeling around they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic - Harry pulled the door open - they ran inside.**

"Woohoo! Go Harry and Ron!" screamed James.

"That is such a stupid thing to do!" said Lily.

"He's a Gryffindor!" said James.

"So? Does that mean he has to be plain stupid?" Dora asked.

"Come on! We would totally have done the same thing!" said James.

"Yup." said Sirius.

"He's right." Remus grinned at his wife. "We would."

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she were about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

"Not good." said Sirius.

"No really?" said Cissy sarcastically.

**"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and seizing a tap he threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione.**

"Not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing." Bill said uncertainly.

"It's good-ish." Harry shrugged, "It came for us but Hermione didn't get squished."

**It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

"RUN!" cried Lily.

"And don't do anything stupid!" Andy added.

"Well, he can't help it, he's Prongs's son!" said Sirius.

"Hey!" James, Lily and Harry shouted.

"Bad dog Padfoot, don't be mean." Remus mock-scolded, relieving some of the tension as a few people laughed.

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it.**

"Hehe... Pea-brain." said Sirius.

"Good thing Ron was there." Charlie commented, "As much as I don't like my little brother fighting a troll." he added with a scowl making Ron smirk at him.

**The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout towards Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

"What're you waiting for? It's bloody well distracted! RUN!" Regulus shouted.

**"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her towards the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started towards Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

"Oh no!" cried Lily, hiding her face in her hands.

"Bloody hell, Harry! Don't be an idiot!" said James anxiously.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.**

Lily gasped.

"Merlin!" said Sirius. "What'd you do that for?"

Harry shrugged, "Ron was in trouble." he said simply.

**The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose,**

"It didn't!" gasped Sirius.

"Didn't what?" asked Lily.

"It did! My wand went up its nose!" announced Harry.

"EWWWW!" cried all of the women, except Hermione who knew what happened already.

"That is disgusting!" Draco said.

**and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"Probably covered in snot then." said Sirius.

"Urgh!" Dora complained.

"What? It's the truth! His wand will be covered in troll bogies because it's been in a bloody troll's nose!"

"Stop it, Padfoot! That's disgusting!" Remus complained.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

"Oh Merlin no!" cried Lily.

**"Ron! Do something!"**

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright;**

"Get up, Damn it!" cried the twins.

**Ron pulled out his own wand - not knowing what he was going to do, he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"Great! The spell you can't do!" Percy groaned.

Ron pouted but stayed silent.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air,**

"Thank Merlin you could do it this time!" said Lily, letting out a breath of air that she didn't know she was holding.

**turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, on to its owner's head.**

They shuddered.

**The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.**

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

"So now you can move!" Sirius scoffed.

"Well, I was in shock." Hermione said defensively.

**"Is it - dead?"**

**"I don't think so," said Harry. "I think it's just been knocked out."**

"Good enough," Lily said, "now get out of there!"

"Don't forget your wand though, Harry." said Sirius with a smirk on his face. The other boys grinned.

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.**

**"Urgh - troll bogies."**

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers. A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up.**

They all groaned.

"Teachers." sighed Sirius.

"Dont worry, we were all too shocked to punish them too much." Minerva glared at the trio. "And they didn't tell us exactly what happened."

"Sorry Minerva. It was kind of... Secret?" Harry tried.

"Secret? I doubt that." she huffed.

"Fine, you know what really happened now and we weren't hurt. Come to think of it we wouldn't have become friends without something like that happening, it was a good thing really." Hermione smiled.

"Yup, nothing like a dangerous situation to bring friends closer together." Ron grinned.

"How many times have you been in a situation like that?" Lily asked suspiciously.

The Golden Trio shared looks with Ginny.

"Depends." Harry finally said, "With just Ron, 'Mione and me, at least... Um... 9 or 10?" he shrugged, "It's hard to keep count. With Ginny, Luna and Neville at least..."

"About 3 or 4 for Luna and Neville." Ginny supplied, "And 6 or 7 for myself added with that."

"It's a miracle any of you are alive." Bill frowned.

"We have a knack for getting out of tight spots." Ron shrugged, "I had practice with escaping the twins pranks, so did Ginny."

"I picked up a lot about escaping over the years too. Hermione, Luna and Neville learned quickly." Ginny paused frowning and looked at Harry.

"I had practice avoiding Dudley's gang." he shrugged, "The rest was luck or force of habit."

**They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear.**

**Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

"Bloody useless Defense teacher!" muttered Sirius.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

"You three almost gave me a heart attack." Minerva told them.

The Golden Trio grinned.

"That tends to happen often doesnt it?" Dora asked.

"Of course it does." Harry said mock-shocked, "Do you really think it didn't?"

"More like hoping it didn't." she admitted.

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.**

**Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows. "Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."**

**"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

"Gotten up at last, have we?" Fred asked sarcastically.

**"I went looking for the troll because I-I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them."**

"Your lying?" asked Sirius, amazed. "Miss. Don't-do-this-don't-do-that is lying?"

"And to a teacher!" added an equally amazed James. Hermione blushed.

"I knew you were lying." Minerva told them. "I just didn't want to call you out on it, I'm quite glad I didn't, to tell the truth." she smiled at the Trio.

"Sorry Minerva." the Trio chorused.

"I was trying to avoid getting these two into too much trouble." Hermione admitted hugging her two boys, smiling fondly.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

"I know." Sirius said, "It's like Snape not having greasy hair!"

"Now that's just wishful thinking!" James said.

Harry frowned, "I know with your history how much you hated Snape but you could at least try to be nice to him."

The returnees all looked at Harry shocked.

"I thought you hated him?" Fred asked.

"I did." he nodded, "But he died on the light, helping me end the war actually. I know the truth behind all of his actions towards me and my friends, I just can't tell you because I gave him my word I wouldn't tell anyone without his permission." he sighed.

"He died?" Lily said sadly.

"Saving me yes, he was killed by Voldemorts familiar but before he died he gave me his memories and it explained everything. He's civil to me when I see his portrait in Minerva's office and I'm civil to him. It's hard to hate someone who helped end the war." he shrugged.

"If we ever see him we'll try to be civil. No promises though." Sirius said, "I managed to put up with him at Order meetings." he told James who'd looked confused, "Cant be all that hard to do it again."

"Fine, we'll try and be civil." James nodded.

**"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose"**

They all snickered.

**"and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they had arrived." Harry and Ron tried to look as if this story wasn't new to them.**

**"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you are not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

**Hermione left. Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first-years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points."**

"Five points? Just five bloody points?" said Sirius outraged.

"They defeated a damn mountain troll!" cried Dora.

"I agree I should have given you more points maybe 25 or even 40 each." Minerva said apologetically.

**"Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have got more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

"We know what you mean." Sirius grumbled.

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. **

**Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks", and hurried off to get plates.**

"Smooth." said Sirius chuckling.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.**

"Who would've thought?" Draco commented.

**There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

The Trio smiled at each other.

"So that's how you three became friends?" Remus asked. They nodded.

"We've been almost inseparable ever since." Ron said.

"Me and Ron kept arguing and falling out." Hermione added, "And we didn't talk for a few weeks sometimes, but we always made up again." she explained.

"And I've fallen out with Ron a few times. Hermione too come to think of it." Harry added thoughtfully. "But it's like 'Mione said we always made up in the end."

"I kind of thought that. There was a time in your third year I almost never saw you three together." Remus explained.

"Yeah we just kept fighting all the time both me and Ron fell out with 'Mione quite a few times and the other way around too." Harry said, "But I think we should have lunch and stretch our legs. You two I need a word." he added to Ron and Hermione who nodded and followed him outside into the August afternoon sun.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - Two Discussions and a Pregnancy.

6th, August, 1998.

Harry turned to face his two best friends once he was sure no one would hear him.

"What else do you think we should show them?" he asked.

"Well definitely your first Quidditch match, It involves the Snitch from last year. Plus the Quidditch fans probably wouldn't be happy if you skipped it." Hermione said making the boys nod.

"I guessed that. Can we show your memory of it though 'Mione?" Harry asked. "You had a better view than me." he added. She nodded.

"We should skip until when we find Nicholas Flamel." Ron added, "Otherwise its just us trying to find him. We can just explain about Hagrid's slip up." he suggested.

"Good idea Ron." Harry said, "Should we show them Norbert?"

"Just when we saw the egg and him hatching then the night we got rid of him." Hermione said, Harry and Ron nodded.

"What else?" Harry asked.

"What about the Mirror of Erised?" Ron asked and Harry nodded.

"Just when I first found it and when Dumbledore caught me. We can explain the rest." Harry decided. "I'm going to show Christmas morning as well, as that's when I got the Invisibility Cloak." he explained.

"What about the conversation you heard between Snape and Quirrel?" Ron asked.

"Yeah I'll show that too. Oh and I'll show the detention we had in the Forbidden Forrest."

"We should show Hagrid's other slip up too, the one where he told us about Fluffy falling asleep to music." Hermione said.

Harry nodded, "Then we can explain anything that has happened and skip to when we were going down through the trapdoor." he said, "So we should definitely be done by the 8th at the latest."

The other two nodded and they began to head inside.

"Hey hold on a minute." Harry said.

"Whats up mate?" Ron asked

"I have an idea." he replied, "Do you two want a ride? I can change into Shadow and you can ride on my back it should give everyone a laugh and you shouldn't be too heavy thank's to the size of Shadow and the extra strength I've got." he explained.

They nodded grinning at Harry's idea, so Harry changed into Shadow and knelt on his front legs so Hermione and Ron could climb up. Then, once he was sure they weren't going to fall off, Shadow started walking quickly towards the house. Once they reached the house Hermione took out her wand, waved it and the door opened, she put her wand away again.

Everyone looked up as they entered and only saw Shadow standing there because Ron and Hermione were hidden by his head.

"Where did the other two go Shadow?" Ginny asked the wolf.

Shadow lowered his head showing Ron and Hermione, who were grinning. Everyone burst out laughing as Shadow walked to a clear bit of floor and sat down causing the two on his back to slide off onto the floor in a heap. Shadow then ran to hide behind Ginny as Ron and Hermione got up and glared at him.

"You did that on purpose you stupid mutt." Hermione said still glaring at Shadow who let his tongue hang out in a wolf style grin. Everyone just laughed harder.

Shadow changed back into a laughing Harry, still hiding behind Ginny.

"Come on," he said, "It was funny and I only said I'd give you a ride I didn't say how you would get down." he added smirking.

"Oh you are so going to get hexed!" Hermione screeched pulling out her wand.

Harry changed back into Shadow and bolted out of the back door which had been left open.

"I'll go get him if you promise not to hex him Hermione." Ginny said.

"Fine, I won't hex him if he says sorry." she replied putting her wand back in her pocket.

"Come on 'Mione. It was pretty funny and he told the truth he didn't say how he would let us down." Ron told her.

"I suppose," she sighed, "I wish he'd given us a warning though." she added.

"I'll go get him then shall I?" Ginny said changing into Misty.

_Harry? _she sent through their soul bond, _Where are you?_

_I'm down by the pond,_ he sent back. Misty ran to the pond and sat down beside Shadow.

_What's up Harry? You usually only come here to think about something, _Misty said silently.

_Gin can I ask you something?_

_Of course you can. You know you can tell or ask me anything, _she replied.

_I've been thinking about something quite a bit recently,_ he admitted.

_What is it?_

_Well I've been thinking about us. And the fact that one day we will be married maybe have kids in a few years time, _he said.

_I've been thinking about that too and I'm actually looking forward to it, _she admitted.

_I think what I'm trying to figure out is where we will live and what our jobs will be and Gin I'd like your opinion,_ Shadow said sounding nervous over their link.

_Oh... Well we can give Grimmauld back to Sirius and Regulus, I definitely don't want to live there... Hmm... Can I suggest something? _she asked hesitantly.

_Of course._

_Well, why don't we build our own house, _she said, _We can build it anywhere we want or maybe build a Mannor with lots of rooms and space to grow in... _she trailed off.

_You know, that actually wouldn't be a bad idea, I'll need to think on it a little though..._ he said, _But come on for now, people will be missing us._

_Oh yeah Hermione said she wouldn't hex you, _Misty commented as she walked beside Shadow. _Ron told her that even he thought it must have been pretty funny, _she added.

_Oh good, I didn't feel like being hexed today, _he chuckled silently as they got to the back door. _You know one day I will ask you to marry me Gin. _Misty froze and Shadow turned to look into her eyes,_ It just might not be in the way you expect, _he added, _I know you were thinking that's what I was going to ask earlier,_ he explained, _there's just some things that need to be sorted first, _he told her nuzzling her cheek then going inside still as Shadow leaving Misty standing there shocked that he had read her thought's so easily when she was trying so hard to hide them. She shook her head, changed back to human, and went inside for lunch.

After lunch everyone was still sitting at the kitchen table chatting about nothing in particular when Bill spoke up.

"Hey everyone we have an announcement." he announced pointing at himself and Fleur, "Remember yesterday when Fleur wasn't feeling very well after dinner?" they all nodded. "Well this morning we found out some interesting news." he said gesturing for Fleur to continue.

"We are having a baby." she said. "We found out last night when Bill took me to St. Mungos." she said fondly.

Molly squealed, "Oh my. I'm going to be a Grandmother. How far along are you?" she asked.

"2 months apparently, the babies are due at the start of April." Bill told his mother.

"Oh my that far already?" Andy asked. "How come you haven't noticed before now?"

"I think it is because I'm Part-Veela. I have owled my Aunt for advice, she is Part-Veela too so she may know." Fleur explained, "But we don't know exactly how far along I am because of the Veela side making it difficult."

"I suppose it could be." Cissy said. "We have cousins who are also Part-Veela." she explained, "One of them didn't know she was pregnant until she was 6 months along." she added.

"We do?" Sirius asked, "Somehow that never came up during the 'lessons' we sat through."

"We do. It's off on a concealed branch of the family, I only found out a few months after I found out I was pregnant with Draco." she explained, "I had nothing to do so I done a little digging and found out about some of the concealed branches in the old pureblood lines."

"Cool." Regulus grinned.

"Bill did you say babies instead of baby on purpose?" Arthur asked his eldest son suspiciously after a moment.

"Of course I did. The healer said it was twins." he replied grinning at the shocked faces in the room.

"Twins? Well I hope they don't turn out as trouble-makers like these two twits." Charlie commented smirking and pointing at the twins.

"I don't think we can survive another pair of these two running around. We barely survived the first time." Percy added chuckling.

"Boys don't be mean to your brothers." Arthur scolded lightly.

"Yeah! Dont be mean or we'll prank you." the twins said together smirking.

"That means you two aren't allowed to be mean either." Molly told them making them pout.

"No fair they started it!" George complained.

"Well I'm finishing it!" Molly snapped.

"All right, all right, anyway congratulations you two." Fred said while George nodded.

"Congratulations." the rest of the room cheered.

Just as they stopped the congratulations a large barn owl swooped into the room with a letter clutched in its beak.

"Athena? What are you doing here?" Draco asked holding his arm out for the owl to land on. "She's Astoria's owl." he told the rest of the room while taking the letter. The owl scooted up so she was perched on Draco's shoulder as he sat down and read the letter.

Draco read through the letter three times then stood up and turned to his mother and said, "Astoria's fallen out with her family. Is it okay if she stay's with us at the Mannor tonight?" he asked. "She want's some time to cool down." he explained.

"That's odd she rarely fights with her family, but sure it's not a problem." Cissy replied, shrugging.

"Why not bring her over here." Molly added, "If she doesn't mind being here that is."

"Yeah I don't mind if she want's to join us while we watch the memories." Harry added, he had gotten to know Astoria well enough to be comfortable sharing with her.

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, she'd be welcome here. If she need's a distraction and a laugh I'm sure we can find something that will help. Beside's she helped me during my 6th year, it's only fair I help her back." she added. Astoria had been one of the few Slytherin's who were neutral during the war though she tried to help the light side's injured people as much as she could and had gained the DA's trust.

"Okay I'll need to go get her now then." Draco said, "Harry are you coming to help explain? I think she would freak out. After all she knew most of the people who returned or she know's they died."

Harry nodded. "Okay let's go then." they walked out of the kitchen and soon there was the tell tale 'pop' of apparation.

"What do you reckon is wrong with Astoria, Cissy?" Andy asked.

Cissy frowned, "It would have to be something pretty big. Astoria often fights with her sister but very rarely her parents." she said, "I would bet something happened that they didn't like very much or that Astoria was told to do something she didn't want to do."

"We know Dave, he would never force either of his daughters to do anything they don't want to do." James said pointing at himself then Sirius, Remus and Lily.

"Unless it was for a good reason." Sirius added.

Five minutes later there was another three faint 'pop's' signaling the arrival of three people, sure enough a second later Shadow skidded into the kitchen and smashed into the table.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Ginny demanded.

Shadow changed into Harry. "I'm fine Gin." he said, "Just ran too fast and couldn't stop myself in time." he explained, "I ran across the garden. By the way we can go really fast." he added conversationally as Draco walked in with his arm around Astoria's waist.

"You crashed into the table didn't you?" Astoria asked.

"No." Harry replied at the same time the rest of the room said, "Yes, he did."

"Told you he would crash." Astoria said to Draco, giggling, "Hello everyone by the way." she added, various greetings were called back to her. "Oh and congratulations Bill and Fleur." she added smiling. they smiled back.

"So does everyone want to continue the memories?" Harry asked. Everyone nodded and they all went into the living room.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - First Year (Part 4)

6th, August, 1998.

"Okay we were talking earlier," Harry started pointing to himself, Ron and Hermione. "and we've decided were just going to show you the key points from now as there is a lot left to cover and still 7 more years to show you." he explained putting a memory in the pensive. "We're starting with my first Quidditch match as it come's up in our 7th year."

"Yay, Quidditch." James and Sirius cheered enthusiastically.

**On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.**

"Ah, the best team to beat!" said James happily. The people who had been, or still were, in Slytherin glared at him as Lily smacked the back of his head.

**If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.**

"Well, of course you'll win!" said Sirius.

"How are you so sure?" asked Dora.

"Simple. Harry's on the team!" James answered for him.

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret.**

**But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse - people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him, holding a mattress.**

"For once it actually wasn't me." Draco said happily.

"Who would of thought." Astoria commented. "Daphne did say in her letter's home that it was you who kept spreading rumors around. Not always about Harry or the other two though." she added smirking as Draco went pink.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend.**

Harry smiled at Hermione who smiled back.

**He didn't know how he'd have got through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do.**

"Just like his father, then!" moaned Sirius.

"Exactly like his father! Roger drove us crazy with all the bloody practicing! Every damn night, right?" questioned James.

"Yeah." Remus answered.

**She had also leant him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"It is." the Quidditch fan's agreed.

**Harry learnt that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them;** **that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

"That was once!" James said.

"Twice." Sirius corrected.

"Fine... That was twice!" he said.

"Still... twice is enough!" Lily added.

"Why take it out on the referee?" asked Percy.

"Because, o dull one, they make the decisions of fouls!" George said making Percy go red.

"And other stuff." Fred added.

"You know, I think the Slytherin team did that once, back in our third year. Not in the Sahara, but, you know, somewhere in the mountains just off of Hogsmeade." said James.

"Yeah, right after we beat them 300-20!" Sirius commented.

"Man, that was the best match ever!" said James.

"Yeah, I must've hit all of their players, like twice each!" said Sirius.

"Glad I wasnt on the team at that point." Regulus chuckled.

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll and she was much nicer for it.**

**The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire which could be carried around in a jam jar.**

"That's not even first year magic!" Minerva said shocked.

"We know." the Trio grinned.

"We tend to get that reaction a lot." Harry explained. "Usually Hermione learns something advanced and teaches it to us. It was fun when people were shocked at what we could do."

"Especially when we weren't meant to learn it for a year or two." Ron added.

"Or in my case four years. Though that's really thanks to Remus." Harry said.

"What did you do Remus?" Dora asked her husband.

"I taught Harry the Patronus Charm." he replied grinning.

"How old was he?" Lily asked.

"I was 13." Harry replied, "It was during my 3rd year." he added.

There was a shocked silence.

"In your third year you produced a corporal patronus?" Regulus asked, as if he couldn't believe what he had heard properly. Harry nodded. "Wow."

"What form did it take?" James asked.

"You'll have to wait and find out." Harry said, making those who didn't know groan.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron and Hermione moved closer to block the fire from view, they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

**"What's that you've got there, Potter?" It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.**

**"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

Minerva said indignantly, "That's not even a rule!"

**"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away.**

**"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

"Who cares?" Sirius said. "Hope it's really hurting him." Lily smacked him on the back of the head.

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

"See? Ron agrees!" Sirius said moving before Lily could hit him again.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together next to a window.**

**Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy (How will you learn?), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

"Now that sounds familiar." James grinned at Remus. "Doesn't it Moony?"

"Well, I didn't change your answers. I told you they're wrong, and you kept guessing until you hit the right answer," he replied, "alright it's pretty much the same thing," he conceded chuckling.

**Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?**

**Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

**"Rather you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

**He made his way down to the staff room and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside - and a horrible scene met his eyes.**

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

They all flinched

"Urgh! We did not need to know that!" said Sirius, disgusted.

Harry shot them an amused look.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

**"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but ****-**

"I hate 'buts'." Dora groaned.

"Why?" asked Sirius cheekily. "Mine is pretty cute."

"Urgh. Padfoot!" James complained.

"What?"

"Don't be disgusting!" Remus scolded.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. "I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

**"GET OUT! OUT!"**

**Harry left, before Snape could take anymore points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"**

"You looked like you had seen something worse than Fluffy." Hermione commented.

"It was about the same if not worse!" Harry protested making everyone laugh at him.

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen. "You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him - he's after whatever it's guarding!****And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to create a diversion!"**

**Hermione's eyes were wide. "No - he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice,****"**

"Understatement of the year." James snorted.

**"****but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron.**

**"They're not. But what's he after? What's the dog guarding?"**

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind - he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

"You really do," said James.

**"I don't want anything."**

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

**"I'm not hungry." Harry felt terrible.**

"Reminds me of someone else before his first Quidditch game." Remus said, pointedly looking at James.

James just grinned and said, "So were you! I got on the team before you though."

"Shut up!" Remus mock-whispered.

**In a few hours' time he'd be walking on to the Quidditch pitch.**

"And you'll win!" Sirius cried.

**"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team."**

"Thanks, that's just what I needed to hear!" Harry said sarcastically.

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

"Yeah. Binoculars are a smart choice." Astoria commented.

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined.**

**It said Potter for President and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.**

"That was nice of you." Lily said happily, smiling at Hermione and Ron who smiled back.

**Meanwhile, in the changing rooms, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green) Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

**"OK, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

**"The big one," said Fred Weasley.**

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

"Did you memorize his speech?" Remus asked amused.

"Of course we did!" they grinned.

"We did that to Roger once. You'd think he would be happy that we were just listening!" said James as Sirius nodded.

**"we know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry. "We were ****o****n the team last year."**

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them as if to say, 'Or else.' "Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."**

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the changing room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked on to the pitch to loud cheers. Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the pitch, waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

**"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth-year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.**

"You know, they might." said Cissy.

"Really?" asked James, interested.

"Their family is weird. And the lot of them smell horrid." said Draco.

They all laughed.

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver. "Mount your brooms, please."**

**Harry clambered on to his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

"'Mione can you put your memory in now?" Harry asked, she nodded so they changed the memories. "She had a better view than me." he explained.

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.**

"Wooohooo!" yelled James. "And they're off!"

**"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too ****-****"**

They all laughed.

**"JORDAN!"**

**"Sorry, Professor."**

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match,**

"That would explain it," said Sirius, grinning. "And wasn't he the one with the giant spider or something?"

"Yeah." George replied also grinning.

"He's a great friend. And he's fancied Angelina for years... Or has he given up?" Fred asked his twin.

"Nope, he's still trying to get her to go out with him." George smirked.

"It's only been 10 years, give it more time." Fred shrugged, "She'll give in eventually."

**closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, Slytherin have taken the Quaffle,****Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to sc - no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood ****and Gryffindor take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and ****-**** OUCH -****that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by Slytherin ****-"**

"No!" moaned Sirius.

**"****that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goalposts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which ****-"**

The twins grinned.

**"****nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger ****-"**

"Yes! Come on, Come on!" Charlie cheered.

**"****the goalposts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"**

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

**"Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid space to join them.**

**"Bin' watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars round his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sigh' of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."**

"He will soon!" said James confidently.

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skywards at the speck that was Harry.**

"Heh, your son is a speck, Prongs!" said Sirius. James sent a mini fireball at him wandlessly forcing him to duck.

"James!" Lily shouted. "Don't throw fire at him!"

"Sorry Lils." he said not sounding sorry at all. "It wouldn't have burned him anyway. I told it not to burn anything."

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."**

"Actually, we don't want him to be attacked at all, thank you very much!" said Lily.

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let out his feelings.**

James and Sirius grinned.

"Sirius tried that first time he played." said James, still grinning, though Sirius had stopped.

"And?" Charlie asked.

"He -"

"Prongs, don't."

"He nearly fell off his broom! I had to fly up to him and keep him steady," said James, trying hard not to laugh. The others weren't trying at all. They burst out laughing. Sirius glared at him. "Lucky someone else had the Quaffle, and not me though!"

"It's not that funny!" Sirius said moodily.

"Oh, but it is!" the twins assured him through their laughter.

**Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold**

James and Sirius gasped excitedly

**but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasley's wrist watches,**

They groaned

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannon ball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

"Hit it at Flint! Hit it at Flint!" cried Sirius.

**"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously towards Marcus Flint.**

"Yeah!" the dark-haired Marauders cheered.

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys****"**

"Who are equal to Bludger's." Sirius said. The twins just grinned.

**"****and Chaser Bell and speeds towards the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"**

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

**Harry saw it.**

**In a great rush of excitement he dived downwards after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too.**

The women, who hadn't seen Harry fly before, shrieked as Harry dived.

**Neck and neck they hurtled towards the Snitch ****- ****all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing**

James snorted.

**as they hung in mid-air to watch. Harry was faster than Higgs - he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead - he put on an extra spurt of speed ****-**** WHAM!**

**A roar of rage from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry's broom span off course, Harry holding on for dear life.**

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.**

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor.**

**But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

"Aww! He was about to get it!" moaned James.

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"This isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him. "You can't send people off in Quidditch - and what's a red card?"**

**But Hagrid was on Dean's side. "They ought to change the rules, Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."**

**Lee Jordan was finding it hard not to take sides.**

"He always did." Minerva sighed. "But he was the best for the job." she added.

**"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating."**

The boys laughed.

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

"Oh, Minnie, let the boy express himself!" said Sirius cheekily. Minerva rolled her eyes.

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul -"**

"I can see why you like this guy." said Sirius and the twins nodded.

**"Jordan, I'm warning you -"**

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure,****"**

"Yeah, right! Only Slytherins do that!" James cried.

"Yeah, and mostly to Gryffindors!" added Sirius.

"It's fun." Regulus said looking amused. "Besides everyone knows that the Gryffindor vs Slytherin matches are always the dirtiest." he added.

"And there's not usually a firstie on the house teams." Draco commented, "Flint always used that move, I'm surprised Wood didn't tell you to watch him for it Harry."

"Wood forgot." Fred huffed, "We thought he had..."

"But he hadn't." George continued, "We had words with him about it. No offence mate but you were small for a firstie." he added to Harry, "No one needed you getting flattened due to a mistake Wood made."

"None taken. And honestly I wouldn't have fallen." Harry shrugged, "Almost but not quite, I would've just grabbed the broom and pulled myself up again."

**"****so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger which went spinning dangerously past his head that it happened.**

"Oh no." Lily said worriedly.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch.**

"Merlin! Someone's messing with his broom!" James cried angrily, jumping up from his seat.

**For a split second, he thought he was going to fall.**

**He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. It happened again.**

"Who is it? I'll kill the git who's doing it!" Sirius shouted.

**It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off.**

"Someone's jinxing it!" James was jumping up and down on his feet.

**But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off.**

"No, they don't! Some git is trying to kill you!" James yelled angrily.

"Prongs, calm down!" said Remus rubbing his ears as did Harry and Ginny.

"Please do calm down, I think you're hurting their ears." Lily said calmly while nodding towards her son and his girlfriend.

"I can't!" he screamed. "Someone's bloody well trying to kill my son, and you want me to calm down?"

Remus sighed. "I really don't want to have to silence you, Prongs!" he said, "I got my wand last night, so did Dora, so I will do it if I have to." he warned and James sat down and glared at him.

"I was fine by the way. Didn't get more than a few scratches." Harry told his father and he calmed down.

**Harry tried to turn back towards the Gryffindor goalposts; he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time out ****-**** and then he realized that the broom was completely out of his control.**

"NO!" they all yelled, except the Golden Trio who smiled at the over protectiveness some of them showed towards one of their own.

**He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zig-zagging through the air and every now and then making violent swishing movements which almost unseated him.**

They were all looking nervous now. James looked as though his head was about to explode, and Lily was turning paler and paler.

**Lee was still commentating. "Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle ****-"**

"Forget that, look at Harry!" James yelled.

**"****passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose ****-"**

James and Sirius snorted appreciatively at the joke, but were still anxious, though some of the tension was relieved.

**"****only joking, Professor ****- ****Slytherin score - oh no..."**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely.**

**It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

**"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."**

"But he has," James said. "so do something!"

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

"That was scary." Hermione said as the others who had seen this before nodded.

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.**

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, grey-faced.**

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped. "Snape - look."**

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering non-stop under his breath.**

**"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me."**

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned his binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer.**

"Oh, Merlin!" Cissy cried.

**The whole crowd were on their feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely on to one of their brooms,**

"Good." Lily muttered.

"Yeah, get him off that thing!" Sirius shouted.

**but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still.**

"Argh!" James groaned.

**They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.**

"Thanks guys." Harry smiled at the twins who grinned back.

"No problem." they replied. "Your like a brother to us." Fred added as George nodded.

"Yeah we would have saved you anyway." George added, "Gryffindors look out for each other." Minerva beamed at her ex-student.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

"Cheater!" Sirius called.

"So what? They won't count." Bill said.

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand and whispered a few, well chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand on to the hem of Snape's robes.**

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket she scrambled back along the row - Snape would never know what had happened.**

"That's brilliant!" Sirius cried happily as everyone nodded.

"You set him on fire?" Minerva questioned. "I had wondered what put him in a bad mood all week." she explained as Hermione blushed and nodded.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.**

They all cheered.

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

**Harry was speeding towards the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick,** **he hit the pitch on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand.**

"You caught the Snitch in your mouth?" James asked incredulously.

"That, or he ate something gold that just came out the wrong end." joked Sirius.

"Sirius!" Lily said reprovingly.

"But Merlin, that's never been done before!" Regulus said.

"Yeah." said Harry as Ron and Hermione nodded, knowing there would be a few parts like that in the next few years they covered.

**"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

"I love it when that happened." James sighed.

"Yeah it's the best." Sirius put in.

"Okay onto the next memory." Harry said changing the memory over.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - First Year (Part 4.5)

6th, August, 1998.

"Okay were starting with a short visit we had with Hagrid." Harry explained.

**"It was Snape," Ron was explaining.**

"It wasn't!" Hermione whispered smugly to the two boys who nodded.

**"Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

"Git." Sirius muttered.

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"**

"Because he's a greasy git." Sirius said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

**Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. "I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."**

**Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

**"Fluffy?"**

**"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the -"**

**"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.**

"I love Hagrid, he always let's things slip." Sirius grinned.

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

**"But Snape's trying to steal it."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

**"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.**

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

**"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them!****"**

"Of course you have!" said Sirius making Hermione blush.

**"****you've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"**

**"Aha!" said Harry. "So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"**

**Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"Oh Hagrid! You and your big mouth are so great!" Sirius grinned.

"He really shouldn't have said that." Minerva said frowning.

"Oh but it's so much fun when he lets things slip." Harry said. "Besides this isn't the first time he does it." he added.

"It's true we could get Hagrid to let a lot of things slip." Hermione commented. "Most of the time he doesn't notice if were trying to find something out."

"And he's a sucker for compliments and flattery." Ron added.

"It's true he was like that with us as well." James said pointing at his fellow Marauders, who nodded.

"But I suppose he wouldn't be the Hagrid we all love if he didn't." Minerva sighed, a fond smile on her face.

"Were skipping to Christmas morning." Harry said smirking.

**On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to next day for the food and the fun, not expecting any presents at all.**

"I thought that." Ron said smirking, "You were way to easy to read back then Harry."

"Well that was the first proper Christmas I can remember having." Harry replied.

"Didn't your Aunt and Uncle ever give you anything?" Astoria asked confused.

"Occasionally an old pair of sock's or something second hand from my cousin, but no, never anything proper." he told her.

Many in the room frowned and a few growled softly.

**When he woke early next morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.**

**"Happy Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his dressing-gown.**

**"You too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

"You really were shocked weren't you dear?" Molly asked sadly. Harry nodded.

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.**

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid.**

"Ah, Hagrid's the best." James sighed.

"He really is." Lily agreed.

**Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it - it sounded a bit like an owl. A second, very small parcel contained a note.**

**We received your message and enclosed your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.**

"They gave you something?" James asked despite Lily's warning glares.

"And what message?" asked Sirius.

"I had to tell them about the troll." Minerva said. "I didn't know why they hadn't replied, but I can make a fair guess now that I've seen the way they treated you Harry."

Harry nodded.

**Sellotaped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

"That's friendly." Lily said sarcastically.

"What is a fifty-pence piece?" Cissy asked Lily.

"Muggle money. Not really that much, even." Lily answered while Hermione pulled out a coin and handed it to Cissy so she could have a look.

"That's what muggles use for money?" Astoria asked leaning in for a look at the coin when Cissy held it out for her to see.

"Yes but there's different types of it some are coins and some are made of paper." Hermione said, "I can show you later if you want. I always keep some on me for emergencies." the ones who hadn't seen Muggle money before nodded as Cissy handed the coin back to Hermione.

**"That's friendly," said Harry. Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

**"Weird!" he said. "What a shape! This is money?"**

**"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?"**

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, going a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and - oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley jumper."**

"Thanks again Mrs. Weasley." Harry said smiling at the witch.

"It was no problem at all dear." she replied blushing.

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of home-made fudge.**

"Thank you for sending him something Molly." beamed Lily, as James nodded. Molly smiled back.

**"Every year she makes us a jumper," said Ron unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

The boys snickered.

**"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. His next present also contained sweets - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

**This left only one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.**

**Something fluid and silvery grey went slithering to the floor, where it lay in gleaming folds.**

James and Lily gasped recognising the old cloak.

"What?" asked Draco, confused.

**Ron gasped.**

**"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every-Flavor Beans he'd got from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare, and really valuable."**

**"What is it?" Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to touch, like water woven into material.**

"Definitely mine." James nodded certainly.

"Could be someone else's, James!" Lily said reasonably.

"Who else has one like mine?" he said.

"Good point." she admitted grudgingly.

**"It's an Invisibility Cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is - try it on." Harry threw the Cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell. "It is! Look down!"**

"You had an invisibility cloak!" Minerva demanded of James who cringed. "That's how it was so difficult to find you!" she exclaimed.

"Of course it was. We were invisible." he joked making most lips in the room twitch. "Plus we knew the castle better than anyone else. We found all the secret passageways and all the hidden room's too." he added.

"That information does come in handy." Harry added.

"I should have known." Minerva muttered.

**Harry looked down at his feet, but they had gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in mid-air, his body completely invisible. He pulled the Cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.**

"Yeah, that's what me and Remus did as soon as we found out about it, halfway through our first year." grinned Sirius.

**"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

**Harry pulled off the Cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:**

"Dumbledore!" they all, except Draco and Astoria (who had never seen his writing), yelled.

**Your father left this in my possession before he died.**

"See? It was mine!" James said ecstatically as Lily rolled her eyes.

**It is time it was returned to you.**

**Use it well.**

**A Very Merry Christmas to you.**

**There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the Cloak. "I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the Cloak?**

"Dumbledore!" James exclaimed. "He was the last person with it." he explained.

**Had it really once belonged to his father?**

**Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the Cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

The twins shrugged, "We were like that with our ideas. We wouldn't feel like sharing something like that either." George said.

"Yeah we would understand that the cloak was special to you." Fred added.

**"Merry Christmas! Hey, look - Harry's got a Weasley jumper, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue jumpers, one with a large yellow F on it, the other with a large yellow G.**

"Not that it helped people tell us apart." Fred smirked.

"We just swapped jumpers." George shrugged.

**"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's jumper. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

They all laughed as the twins mock-bowed.

**"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving.**

**He had clearly come halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy jumper over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."**

**"I - don't - want -" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the jumper over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

**"And you're not sitting with the Prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his sides by his jumper.**

They all laughed again as Percy glared at the twins.

"Were skipping to that same night." Harry said. "I had used the cloak to go to the library, to look in the restricted section, and the book I picked up screamed at me so I had been running away from Filch and got lost." he explained.

**He passed Filch almost in the doorway;**

"The worst possible person." James sighed.

**Filch's pale, wide eyes looked straight through him and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour. He had been so busy getting away from the library; he hadn't paid any attention to where he was going.**

**Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, he knew**

"There are suits of armour in more places than near the kitchens, Harry." James chuckled as Harry went pink.

**but he must be five floors above there.**

"Wait, does that mean you already found the kitchens? You didn't mention that!" Sirius said.

"We didn't get there 'till beginning of second year!" James exclaimed.

"No I hadn't found them. It was just a guess." said Harry.

"Good guess." Remus mused. "That's the 4th floor, see the dent mark in that wall." he pointed at the frozen image above the pensive when Harry paused it.

James's eyes widened, "That's from the time Padfoot ran into it isnt it?"

"No that was a floor above." Sirius muttered, "What was that one Moony?"

"Us three running from Filch funnily enough." he grinned. "In our 5th year after knocking down a large metal vase."

"Oh yeah, we decided to run because of the noise attracting too much attention." James nodded, "Filch almost caught us."

"But the kitchens are in the basement, almost directly five floors below there." Sirius smirked, "Very good guess on that one Harry."

"Thank you." he grinned.

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library - Restricted Section."**

**Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a short cut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied.**

"I stand corrected." James groaned. "He is the worst possible person."

**"The restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him - the Cloak didn't stop him being solid.**

"As Sirius found out the hard way." James grinned.

"When he bumped right into Slughorn." Remus laughed.

"How did you manage that? Slughorn wasn't exactly hard to miss." Regulus said.

"I don't know. I wasn't looking where I was going, and next thing I know, I'm staring into his giant belly." explained Sirius.

"And cleaning the trophy room." James smirked.

"Heh, I didn't do it properly. I spat on Voldemort's trophy."

"I should've done that!" Ron said as everyone laughed again.

**He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope.**

**He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past and Harry leant against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close.**

**It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in. It looked like a disused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls and there was an upturned waste-paper basket - but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet.**

"The Mirror of Erised!" Lily whispered.

"The what?" Astoria asked.

"It mean's Desire." Remus said. "It shows you the most deepest desire of your heart." he explained.

"Oh, thank you for clearing that up." she said.

**There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.**

"Translation, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." he replied.

**His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but seeing no reflection again.**

"That's the best." grinned Sirius.

"Doubt that'll happen, though. That's a magical, powerful mirror." said Remus thoughtfully. Harry nodded in agreement.

**He stepped in front of it. He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.**

"What -?" began Remus, before a look of dawning comprehension appeared on his face, followed by a sad smile.

The others were confused. Only Lily and Hermione seemed to be trying to figure something out.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.**

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder - but, still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

Lily gasped. Tears appeared on her face.

"What is it?" James asked softly.

Lily sniffed and shook her head.

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she really was there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.**

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes - her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green - exactly the same shape,**

James frowned, looking at Lily, whose head was resting on his shoulder.

"Wait a second -" he began.

"His heart's desire." sniffed Lily.

"No!" gasped James.

"What?" asked Sirius and Regulus.

"His - the mirror. It shows your heart's desire."

"I still don't - oh!" Sirius said, followed by a much lower, sadder, "Oh."

Harry smiled sadly as he saw they're reactions.

**but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.**

James held Lily, and she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Oh Harry." she whispered softly.

**The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just like Harry's did.**

**Harry was now so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.**

**"Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?"**

**They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, and even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees - Harry was looking at his family for the first time in his life.**

"His family." sighed Lily, her head still on James' shoulder, but she was no longer crying, just staring sadly into space.

"That was the first time you saw us?" James asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded still smiling sadly. Ginny pulled him into a hug from where she was sitting next to him as she was closest.

"Harry? Are we skipping until Dumbledore found you?" Ron asked.

"Yeah." Harry replied. "This is a few nights later." he added to the rest of the room while changing the memory.

**That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.**

"Lucky, aren't you?" Regulus asked.

"Bit too lucky." Lily muttered.

"Are you saying you want him to get caught?" James asked in disbelief.

"Better than going back there." she said bitterly.

James frowned a bit, then shrugged it off.

**And there were his mother and father, smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all. Except - "So - back again, Harry?"**

"Oh crap." Sirius muttered.

"Damn it." Remus cursed.

"Shoot." Lily complained.

"Bloody hell." the twins said.

"Guess you weren't that lucky after all." James said ironically.

"Yeah." snorted Sirius. "So who could it be?"

"It sounded like Albus." Minerva commented.

**Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.**

"Your doomed." Draco dead-panned.

"The headmaster, of all people!" James cried hysterically.

"Well, I reckon Dumbledore's a lot better than Filch." Sirius commented.

**Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.**

**"I - I didn't see you, sir."**

"Obviously." Minerva chuckled.

**"Strange how short-sighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

Lily sighed with relief

"So he's not mad, then?" Astoria asked.

"Obviously not. He's smiling!" said Dora happily.

**"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

**"I didn't know it was called that, sir."**

"It only says that on the side." Sirius said sarcastically.

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

**"It - well - it shows me my family -"**

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy."**

The oldest Weasley brothers looked at Ron curiously.

"Care to explain that Ron? You've never shown much interest in it before." Percy said.

"I may have felt over-shadowed." he muttered, "With you lot doing so well and all that. I had a lot to live up to." he shrugged going red.

"Dumbledore's guess was very accurate then." Harry mused.

"What?" Ron asked.

"You'll see." he smirked.

**"How did you know -?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry shook his head. "Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is; he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

Remus nodded. "That's a big clue."

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly. "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."**

"Good for him, he figured it out!"

"Shut up, Sirius!" Regulus snapped.

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly.**

"Can't he ever give a straight answer?" James complained.

"Not in all the time I've known him." Minerva mused, "And that's quite a while."

"I got a straight answer out of him once or twice." Harry shrugged. "At the time I was ready to blow something up though."

"And he wanted to keep you calm." Ginny snorted, "No one likes it when your angry for a reason Harry. It's pretty terrifying."

Harry blushed but kept silent.

**"It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts."**

"See what I mean? He could've just said, It shows you your heart's desire, but nooo, he has to say it in a weird, long way." James said.

"James, stop being an idiot."

"He can't help it, Lily." Sirius grinned.

"Oi!"

"It's the truth, Prongs!"

"Shut up, Padfoot!"

"Make me. No! Don't!" Sirius replied falling silent as James made another fireball and got ready to throw it at him.

James smirked and extinguished the flame ball.

**"You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them."**

"That's how you feel Ron?" Arthur asked his son.

"Not anymore but that's how I used to feel, yeah. It was like everyone was watching me, waiting for me to do something brilliant." Ron admitted going pink.

"You know your your own man, right Ron." Bill said.

"Yeah it doesn't matter what we've done, everyone's different." Charlie added.

"We didn't realise how much pressure you were under." Percy admitted sheepishly.

"We probably made it worse by picking on you." Fred added pointing at George.

"Yeah, sorry Ron." George said.

Ron nodded, "It's okay now that I understand better." he said making everyone smile.

"Plus Ron not many people can say their one of Harry Potter's best friend's." Ginny added smirking at her boyfriend who glared at her, "Just like it's only me who can say that I'm his girlfriend and be telling the truth."

"She's telling the truth Ron. It's only really you and 'Mione who can say that you are my best friend's and everyone know's that you two helped me end the war." Harry said. Ron just nodded and everyone turned back to the memory.

**"However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again."**

"Good. You'll listen to Dumbledore, right?" Lily added uncertainly.

James grinned. "Umm... well, he has Marauder blood after all, so you can never be too sure."

"James!"

"He'll listen. Even we listened to Dumbledore." Remus said.

"Almost always." Sirius added.

"Most of the time." James commented.

"Occasionally."

"Hardly ever." James admitted.

"Sirius! James!" Lily said angrily.

They grinned. "He'll listen." they both said simultaneously. Harry just chuckled.

**"If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable Cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

**Harry stood up. "Sir - Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."**

**"What do you see when you look in the Mirror?"**

"You think it's okay to just ask the headmaster that?" Dora said in shock. Harry shrugged.

"You've got some guts, mate." Ron grinned.

"Which is surprising, since his father's a right coward." Sirius added.

"I am not!" James complained.

"Yes you are, you deer-in-the-headlights!" Sirius retorted.

"Well if I remember correctly there is something you are terrified of." James said thoughtfully. "The one only me and Remus ever knew about." he added. Sirius paled. "I might just share it with everyone here."

"You wouldn't." Sirius whispered.

"Take it back then."

"Fine! Prong's isn't a coward." Sirius muttered. This made everyone chuckle.

"You do know I already know what your terrified of don't you?" Harry told his godfather, Sirius paled again. "But I won't tell anyone." he added and Sirius smiled gratefully.

**"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks." Harry stared. "One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful.**

"Took you long enough. Obviously got your dad's brains." Sirius teased.

"Git." James said while playing with a bit of fire in his hands.

**But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

"It is true I asked without thinking." Harry admitted with a chuckle. "Were skipping again. This is the one where we find out about Nicolas Flamel." he added.

"Finally!" those who didn't know shouted, waking up Teddy who had been asleep until now.

"Now you've done it." Harry sighed.

"GRAMMA." Teddy shouted before starting to cry. Andy quickly went over and picked him up where he calmed down almost instantly.

"That was fast." Remus commented.

"Yeah he's normally cranky when he's woken up by someone. What time is it?" Andy asked handing Teddy his wolf.

"It's 1.30pm." Harry answered. "Why?"

"He's slept longer than he usually does." she replied frowning. "He's usually up around 11am." she explained.

"He must've been tired." Cissy said. Andy nodded and sat back down next to Dora. Teddy crawled onto Dora's knee and looked at her changing his hair to match her's, making her chuckle, then sitting back and playing with his wolf.

**Wood was working them harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side.**

**If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years.**

"Gooooooooooooooo Gryffindor!" the dark-haired Marauder's cheered.

"Yeah!" the twins said.

**Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training. **

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just got very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

They all laughed.

**"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"**

"Your doomed." James said.

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.**

"Didn't get hurt did you?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Nah I landed on a softer bit of ground and I was only a few metres up maybe about 10." George said.

"Yup he only bruised his bu..." Fred started

"FRED!" Molly yelled as all the boy's laughed and George went red.

**"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.**

**"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."**

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

**"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."**

**Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch... The rest of the team hung back to talk to each other as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess.**

**Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at something, Harry and Ron thought was very good for her. **

They all grinned.

"Guess that brings you down to their level." beamed Sirius.

"I will admit it was good for me." a very pink Hermione said.

**"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him. "I need to concen -" He caught sight of Harry's face.**

"And that must be horrible, seeing as he look's like Prong's here." Sirius mocked.

"OI! Stop it! And this coming from the mutt who is terrified of -"

"Dont. You. Dare." Sirius said in a quiet but deadly voice. James sensed danger, and reluctantly stopped teasing his friend.

**"What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

"Told you." grinned Sirius.

James gave him a sour look, but otherwise ignored the comment.

**Speaking quietly so that no one else could hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

**"Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

**"Say you're ill," said Ron.**

"I think I like your reactions." laughed James. Ron and Hermione smirked.

**"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

**"Really break your leg," said Ron.**

Sirius laughed. "Ron's got the right sort of idea, doesn't he?"

"He does not!" Lily said, irritated. "Harry is not going to cause himself pain!"

At Lily's last comment Hermione glared at Harry who purposefully avoided eye contact with her.

**"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.**

**He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.**

James and Sirius couldn't help but laugh and Lily and Remus threw them dirty looks.

**Everyone fell about laughing except Hermione,** **who leapt up and performed the counter-curse.**

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet trembling.**

**"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.**

**"Malfoy," said Neville shakily.**

"Sorry." Draco said as he received many angry glares from around the room.

**"I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

"Git." Sirius muttered to James who nodded.

**"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged him. "Report him!"**

**Neville shook his head. "I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

**"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

**"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor,"**

"You are!" Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione said at the same time.

**"Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked.**

"Sorry again, I really shouldn't have said that. Or done it in the first place." Draco commented guiltily.

**Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville,**

"Awww," Lily cooed. "That's so sweet of you!" Harry blushed.

**who looked as though he might cry.**

**"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

"EXACTLY!" yelled James. "He's in stupid old Slytherin! Oops, no offence." he added hastily as Andy, Cissy, Regulus, Draco and Astoria glared at him.

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the Frog.**

**"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?."**

**As Neville walked away. Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

**"Dumbledore again," he said. "He was the first one I ever -" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

**"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here - listen to this: 'Professor Dumbledore is particualrly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"**

"You found it on a chocolate frog card!" yelled James disbelievingly.

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd got back their marks for their very first piece of homework.**

The twins, James and Sirius snorted.

**"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.**

**"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

**"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for. "I knew it! I knew it!"**

**"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily.**

Sirius and James chuckled.

**Hermione ignored him. "Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"**

"Hooray! They've found it at last!" Sirius cried, jumping up and down making Teddy giggle at him.

"Fu-nn-y." he said carefully. "Unca Pa'foot fu-nn-y."

"Look's like Teddy find's you funny Siri." Regulus commented chuckling as Sirius grinned at the little boy.

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.**

**"The what?" said Harry and Ron.**

**"Oh, honestly, don't you two read?"**

"Of course we don't." the two boys chorused making everyone snicker and Hermione glare at them.

**"Look - read that, there."**

**She pushed the book towards them, and Harry and Ron read:**

**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**

The people who hadn't known gasped.

"No way!" Regulus said.

"Immortal? As in I'm-never-gonna-die Immortal?" Sirius asked in shock.

"Yes. How many other descriptions are there of immortal?" Hermione said rolling her eyes.

**There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year,**

"Merlin that's old!" said James in awe.

"No kidding, genius!" Sirius teased.

**enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**

"That's it for now until I sort through some memories. It's only 3pm so how about a 30 minute break?" Harry suggested. Everyone nodded and either went for some air or split into different conversations.

* * *

><p>I apologise for the wait, I've run out of internet at home so I need to wait until I'm at my Uncle and Aunts house or at college so it may be a while between updates although I've already written future chapters. I'll use the time to go through the already written ones to make sure there's no major mistakes.<p>

Just to clear things up this story will be cut into 4/5 stories under the same type of story and will go through all 7 books. As you've probably seen I have cut out some parts of the books but it wont be anything major (and I'll leave the funny bits just for the entertainment value).

Keep reading and please review x


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 - Astoria's story.

6th, August, 1998.

Draco and Astoria had decided to go for a walk around the garden.

"Hey Astoria?" Draco asked quietly after a minute of silence between them.

"Yes Draco?" she replied.

"You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to but, why were you fighting with your parents and Daphne?" he asked hesitantly.

Astoria sighed, "I knew you would ask eventually, I'm grateful it wasn't in front of everyone else though. They don't agree with something that has happened." she explained hesitantly.

"And what happened?" Draco prodded gently.

"Well I'm guessing you remember that night, up at the Astronomy Tower at Christmas?" she asked, he nodded with a smile at the memory. "Well you can remember we had a similar night about two months ago when we were drunk at the Mannor?" he nodded again. "Well I don't know how to say this." she admitted, "But you're going to be a father." she said quietly.

Draco was in shock. Him? A father? He was barely even 18 how could he possibly be a father to a child? He looked at Astoria numbly.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"Your going to be a father Draco, I'm pregnant." Astoria said gently.

He stood stock still for a minute before speaking, "Well that gives me a reason to do this then." he pulled a little black box out of his robe pocket and got down on one knee opening the box to expose a beautiful ring with a sapphire gem surrounded by little emeralds on a thin golden band that was in the shape of a snake biting its own tail. "I was going to wait until christmas but..." he cleared his throat. "Astoria Greengrass will you do me the extraordinary honour of becoming my wife." he looked at her nervously.

"Are you just doing this because I said I'm pregnant?" Astoria asked in shock.

"No I was going to ask you at Christmas." he replied honestly. "I want to do the right thing here, Astoria, and that's sticking by you and our unborn child. I'll admit I'm nervous and that I have no idea how to take care of a child but I know the right thing to do is to not run away, to face my fears about our situation. I really do want to marry you." he was being completely honest and she could see that.

Astoria was speechless, she had tears in her eyes though she wasn't sure if they were from happiness or from something else.

"Yes. I will marry you." she whispered. Draco grinned and stood up and slid the ring on Astoria's left ring finger, then he pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the lips.

When they pulled back for air they were both ginning wildly.

"So how far along are you anyway?"

"About two months. I'm due in June." she replied placing a hand on her flat stomach. "I found out when I was at St. Mungo's about a week ago with morning sickness. I would have told you sooner but I was scared and confused." she admitted.

"Well I'll support you fully and I can understand why your family weren't happy, especially with how young we are. We're nowhere near ready for this but we can, and will, get through this together." Draco said solemnly. They continued walking around the garden the sapphire and emerald ring sitting on Astoria's finger glittering in the sunlight.

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><p>IN THE LIVING ROOM AT THE SAME TIME<p>

Harry was sitting playing with Teddy as Ginny watched him with a smile on her face. She didn't hear someone come up behind her.

"It's like watching the future isn't it?" a voice said behind her ear making her jump. Ginny spun around to see Lily standing behind her. "Sorry I thought you heard me coming."

"It's okay. I was just thinking about something Harry said to me earlier." Ginny explained as Lily sat down next to her. "We were talking earlier and he asked me where I wanted to live when we're married."

"Oh, I can remember James did that to me as well. To me it sounded like he was proposing but we had only been together 9 months I wasn't quite ready for marriage and he knew it." Lily replied thoughtfully as Remus joined Harry on the floor beside Teddy.

Ginny nodded, "That's what it sounded like to me but it's like he read my mind, he probably did as we were both in wolf form when we were talking he said to me, 'You know one day I will ask you to marry me Gin. It just might not be in the way you expect.', so I'm guessing that he did read my mind." she explained.

"Well the way James proposed was defiantly not the way I expected." Lily said smiling, "He was hiding in our bedroom as Prongs, the stag, with a note saying, 'Will you marry me' around his neck, he bowed to me when I entered the room and the ring was sitting on one of his antlers, obviously he had spent quite a bit of time thinking about it and I said yes because I knew he meant it." she explained.

"Really? Well I'll just have to expect the unexpected then." Ginny said with a giggle as Harry stood up and came over to them.

"Hi Gin. Hi Mum." he said sitting down next to Ginny, "What are you two women talking about that gave me the feeling that you were talking about me?" he asked grinning.

"You know what we were talking about Harry, I saw your ears twitching." Ginny smirked as Harry blushed.

"Oh Harry." Lily sighed, "You know your Godfather and Remus used to do that as well, pretending they couldn't hear what anyone across the room said when they heard everything most of the time." she nodded at the two men who were looking a little red as Dora joined them.

"Do you have any idea what is making my husband and cousin look like they are trying to hide a blush." Dora asked.

"Advanced hearing." Ginny replied. "Lily was just telling us about how they used to pretend they couldn't hear across a room when they could hear perfectly. I just caught Harry doing it." Harry blushed again.

Dora chuckled, "I thought that." she said sitting down on Lily's other side.

"They used to do it all the time, of course Remus's hearing is probably better now, it was always better than Sirius's anyway." Lily explained.

"True our hearing is pretty excellent." Harry admitted, "By the way Gin can I have a word? Silently preferably." he added. Ginny nodded and they switched to speaking using their telepathic connection.

_What is it Harry? _Ginny asked.

_I've been thinking again, I think we should make it clear that we can change anyone if they want to be changed into a Lycan, _He explained.

_I've been thinking about that too. I think your right we shoud tell everyone that if they want to be turned into a Lycan all they have to do is ask._

_Yeah we don't want the Lycan virus to go extinct again. Death did say it was a lost species and it has some useful advantages, _he nodded.

_Of course,_ she replied as Draco and Astoria walked in.

"Everyone we have an announcement." Draco said and everyone looked at him.

"Were engaged." Astoria said smiling and holding up her left hand to show her ring.

Everyone clapped or cheered and Narcissa went over and hugged them both tightly. Once she had released them Draco pulled her over to the side and quietly explained that Astoria was pregnant before he announced it, she was shocked but nodded.

"There's something else too." Draco said joining Astoria and putting a arm around her waist, "We're having a baby as well. Astoria's two month's along." he said making everyone cheer again.

"Well this should be interesting." Bill said once everyone had said their congratulations, "Three babies being born with about two month's between them." he grinned making everyone chuckle.

"Definitely interesting." Harry agreed, "but shall we return to the memories?" he suggested as Andy picked Teddy up and sat him on her knee where he fell asleep.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - First Year (Part 5)

6th, August, 1998, 3.30pm.

"Right we will start at the Quidditch game Snape was refereeing." Harry explained.

**Harry didn't see how he could - yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

"That's Legilimency. Which he knew." Hermione said. "It is possible he used it."

"He wouldn't, it's illegal to use on students." Minerva said.

"Never stopped him before." Harry said.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the changing rooms next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again.**

"He wouldn't do anything right in front of the whole school." Remus said reasonably.

**This wasn't what you'd call comforting.**

"But what isn't comforting about thinking you'll never see someone alive again?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

**Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus two Thousand.**

**Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match.**

"Well, why shouldn't you take your wand?" Sirius asked. "You're supposed to take 'em everywhere!"

"Yeah. Never let your wand out of your sight!" James said.

**Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd got the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.**

**"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

**"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."**

**Back in the changing room, Wood had taken Harry aside.**

**"Don't want to pressure you, Potter,"**

"That never works. There's always pressure, especially on the seeker." James half-laughed.

**"but if we ever need an early capture of the snitch it's now."**

"Yeah, that's no pressure at all!" Ginny snorted.

**"Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."**

"You can't just catch the Snitch because you have to!" James cried.

**"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door.**

"Aren't they always?" asked Astoria.

"Not really. Just most of the school." Minerva replied.

**"Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

"Dumbledore's there!" James said happily. "Now we know for sure that he's safe!"

**Harry's heart did a somersault.**

**"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.**

They all grinned.

**Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. He was safe. There was simply no way Snape would dare to try and hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.**

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the pitch, something that Ron had noticed, too. "I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look - they're off. Ouch!"**

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.**

"Poke him back!" snapped James as Draco blushed again.

**"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time?"**

"Easy about 10 minutes." Harry smirked.

"10 minutes?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Less than that." Hermione amended, "About 3 or 4 minutes."

"Why?" Lily asked nervously. "You don't get hurt do you?"

"You'll see." Harry smiled brightly.

**"Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"**

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.**

"Well, I admire George for his guts." Sirius grinned, earning him a wide smile from the mentioned twin.

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

**"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all.**

**"It's the people they feel sorry for."**

"You did NOT just say that!" roared James.

"Sorry but I did." Draco admitted looking ashamed.

**"See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,"**

"That fu -"

"James!" Lily shouted.

**"then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money -" **

"Sorry." Draco said again as everyone glared at him.

**"you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."**

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. "I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

**Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

**"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."**

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to breaking point with anxiety about Harry.**

**"I'm warning you, Malfoy - one more word -"**

**"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly. "Harry -!"**

"Oh, bloody hell! What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?" cried James anxiously.

**"What? Where?"**

"What's going on?" asked Lily.

**Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked towards the ground like a bullet.**

"Thank Merlin it's just the Snitch," sighed James, letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "Wait, the Snitch? HE'S FOUND THE SNITCH! GOOOOO HARRY!" he yelled with Sirius.

**"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.**

**Ron snapped.**

"Finally!" Sirius cried.

"Go and punch him now!" James said hopefully.

**Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground.**

"Woohooo! Go Ron!" cried Sirius and James.

**Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

"Go Neville!" Ginny said, happy that her friend was doing something.

**"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping off her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape -**

"Uh -" began James.

"Oh." finished Sirius.

"I'm not going to do anything, except maybe scare him." Harry added as an afterthought.

**she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe and Goyle.**

"That's not fair! Two against one!" Lily said.

"Brave of Neville, though." said James.

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.**

"YES!" cried James and Sirius.

"You are the best! That couldn't have been even five minutes!" Regulus shouted.

"3 and a half." Hermione nodded, "I was counting this time." she admitted.

"That's got to be a record of some sort! No way has the Snitch ever been caught that quickly before!" Sirius said happily.

"Yes it was a record." Minerva said smiling proudly at her ex-student. "It's been written in the schools record book."

Harry went pink with embarrassment at all the praise.

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

**"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor are in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.**

"Your surprisingly happy for someone not that into Quidditch." Lily said.

"Well, I wanted Gryffindor to win and I was relieved that nothing happened to Harry." Hermione replied.

**Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.**

**As Gryffindors came spilling on to the pitch, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped - then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face. "Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear.**

"Even Dumbledore's impressed!" James said, more proud than he ever thought that he could be.

**"Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror... been keeping busy... excellent..."**

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**

**Harry left the changing room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier.**

"That's your happiest memory when you were 11?" Lily said sadly. "That's so sad."

"Why? Quidditch is awesome!" James cried.

"Yeah," Remus agreed. "But I don't think it would've made much of a Patronus either."

Harry nodded, "It didn't." he said.

**He'd really done something to be proud of now -**

"And defeating Voldemort isn't something to be proud of?" Remus said.

"Well, he doesn't even remember that, Remus." Lily said, shuddering slightly as she remembered that night, James put an arm around her.

"I do remember it actually." Harry admitted, "Not saying how though, but after the war ended in May I got some more memories of happier times before that night. I don't know how." he shrugged. "It's true I didn't remember that night until last year."

James and Lily looked at him sadly, the pain obvious in their eyes.

**no one could say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet.**

**He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him on to their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape... And speaking of Snape... A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle.**

**Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible towards the Forbidden Forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind**

James gasped comically.

**as he watched. He recognised the figure's prowling walk.**

**Snape was sneaking into the Forest while everyone else was at dinner - what was going on? Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off.**

"Let's hope you aren't caught, then." Draco smirked.

**Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the Forest at a run. He followed. The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided towards them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.**

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too.**

**Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever.**

**Harry strained to catch what they were saying. "... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."**

**"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone after all."**

"Uh-oh. He knows that you know about the Stone, doesn't he?" asked Sirius.

"Must do." Ron sighed.

**Harry leant forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

**"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

**"B-b-but Severus, I -"**

**"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step towards him.**

**"I-I don't know what you -"**

**"You know perfectly well what I mean."**

**An owl hooted loudly and Harry nearly fell out of the tree.**

"Bloody hell! Don't fall!" James yelled.

**He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "- your little bit of hocus pocus."**

"What?" they all said.

"Hocus pocus? Does that mean magic?" Percy asked.

"Guess so." Lily replied. "It's a Muggle expression." she added.

**"I'm waiting."**

**"B-but I d-d-don't -"**

**"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

**He threw the cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was pertrfied.**

"What a coward!" said James.

**"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.**

**"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back.**

"Yes I think Harry realizes that, seeing as he was the one that caught the Snitch!" Fred said sarcastically.

**"And I gave Malfoy a black eye"**

Draco nodded in conformation making everyone laugh.

"Sorry Draco but you deserved it." Ron said and Draco nodded again.

**"and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

Minerva glared at the twins.

"What?" Fred asked.

"We actually checked the rules about that and there were none." George added.

"He's right Minnie we did that too." James smirked cheekily.

"Add to that the fact that the house-elves are only too happy to make you something to eat or to give you sweets." Sirius grinned.

"I suppose there's no real harm in it." Minerva admitted grudgingly making everyone chuckle. "Come to think about it there were a brother and sister duo, in my year and the year below, when I was at school who did that after we won a Quidditch match too." she added smiling at their shocked faces.

**"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..."**

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.**

**"So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' - I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell which Snape needs to break through -"**

**"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

James snorted. "If that's the case, it'll be gone within a week!"

**"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

"That's the way to think positive!" Remus said sarcastically.

"Well we, as a Trio, pride ourselves on positive thinking don't we?" Ron said in a mock-posh voice.

"Totally." Hermione agreed with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Absolutely." Harry said rolling his eyes. "Expect a lot of happy thought's." he warned sarcastically as the other two laughed.

"Oh Harry what kind of happy thoughts?" Hermione asked pretending she didn't know.

"Well maybe the ones that are always coated in thick layers of dust at the back of my mind 'Mione." Harry said smiling grimly.

"C'mon mate there are a few happy bits." Ron said reasonably.

"There are a few but I will warn everyone here that there's only a few and after 4th year they are very, very rare." Harry told them making the mood turn somber.

"Not a very happy few years at Hogwarts then?" Astoria questioned.

"Nope." the Trio deadpanned.

James and Lily exchanged glances, "How bad did it get?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"Well I'd say my 1st and 3rd were probably the two happiest years and the worst would definitely be 5th and last year." Harry replied sadly.

"Our 4th year was bad all around. Not all of 5th was terrible even if most of it was, 6th year wasn't too bad either, until the end of it that is." Hermione added.

"'Mione 5th year was one of the easiest but it was still terrible." Ron said. "Or are you forgetting Umbrige and the Ministry?" he asked.

"Fair enough." she replied as Harry absently rubbed his left hand, only Sirius noticed this.

"Harry? What's that on your hand?" he questioned.

Harry tried to hide his hand, "It's nothing."

"Harry their going to find out eventually." Remus said having already seen the scars.

"Fine. It was Delores Jane Umbrige." Harry spat. "Remember how I told you she had me writing lines in detention." Sirius nodded. "Well it wasn't a normal quill I was using."

James frowned as Sirius asked, "It wasn't a blood quill was it."

Harry nodded and held his hand up for those who didn't know what it said to see.

"She made me write 'I must not tell lies' so many times it left scars." he told his parents.

"Blimey I didn't know yours had left scars Harry ours had faded within two weeks." Fred said.

"I was in detention how many times that year?" Harry questioned him.

Fred opened his mouth but George beat him to it. "More than anybody else in the school that's for sure."

"Anyway you'll all find out the whole story later. Right now I think it is time for dinner." Harry said in a falsely cheerful voice.

"That's a good idea but Harry your going to come for a chat with me, Ron and Hermione your not getting away that easily it's obvious that there's something still bothering you." Ginny said firmly making Harry groan and everyone else chuckle as the Trio and Ginny headed up stairs and into Ginny's room.

"They should be down soon enough." Molly said.

"Harry does that sometimes. The whole pretending he's okay when he's not thing." Arthur sighed as Molly left to start cooking the dinner.

"He's good at the whole self blame thing too, he blamed himself for every single death in the war." Bill added. "I was talking to him a few months ago about it." he explained.

"Uh oh." Sirius said. "He blamed himself for me falling through that bloody curtain didn't he?"

Minerva nodded, "He did, I could see it every time I looked him in the eye's during the rest of his 5th year and a little at the start of his 6th year."

"There was three of us doing that." Remus added, "Me and Dumbledore both did it until I eventually realised that it was Albus's fault for not telling Harry about the Prophecy."

"It was partly Snivilly's fault as well. He kep going on about how I had to stay at headquarters. But I suppose it's mainly my fault." Sirius admitted, "I got distracted when I got hit and fell back through the veil."

"What veil?" Regulus asked.

"The veil in the Department of Mysteries." Sirius said making James, Lily, Astoria and Regulus wince and everyone else wince at the reminder.

Hermione and Ron walked in to the room. "Ginny's dealing with him. He won't tell us what's wrong with him." Ron said sadly shaking his head.

Hermione nodded. "Ginny has more of a chance of getting it out of him than us." she shrugged, "He doesn't think before he answers her, he never has since he fell in love with her." she explained.

After a moment of comfortable silence there was a loud 'THUD' from upstairs. Ron looked at Hermione.

"I told you it was a bad idea to leave them with their wands." he said before there was a 'SMASH'.

"I'll go see what their doing." Sirius said, "Prongs you better come as as well incase Harry starts a fire accidentally. Moony you too, we might need your strength if their fighting." the two nodded and they headed upstairs.

"What are you two doing?" Sirius questioned when they were in Ginny's room.

There was a few pieces of broken furniture around the room. In the middle of the room there was a red wolf, Misty, pinning a black wolf, Shadow, to the ground and Shadow was growling at Misty.

"Um I think they are fighting." Remus said.

The wolves hadn't heard them come in and continued fighting, Shadow threw Misty off and pinned her to the ground with one massive paw.

"I'll get Harry if you two get Ginny." Remus suggested.

James nodded and Sirius turned into Padfoot. Remus moved quickly and grabbed Shadow around the scruff of his neck. Shadow got a fright and jumped, his massive claw slashing Remus across the chest making Remus let go and pass out.

"HARRY!" James shouted, as Misty changed back into a worried looking Ginny who was covered in scratches and bite marks. "Calm down it's just us."

Shadow changed back into a shocked looking Harry who, like Ginny, was covered in scratches and bite marks, but his were a little worse.

"Uh oh. Remus?" Harry croaked, going over to Remus's side as the man stirred.

"Ow." Remus said bemused, making James chuckle and Padfoot let out a snort before changing into a chuckling Sirius.

"Oh I'm so sorry Remus. I didn't mean it." Harry said staring, horrified, at the blood soaking through Remus's shirt, knowing he had done it.

"It's okay Harry you didn't mean it I shouldnt have startled you." Remus said upon seeing the look on Harry's face.

"I'm really sorry." Harry repeated as Remus took his shirt off to inspect the damage.

"It's alright see it's already starting to heal." he replied putting his shirt back on.

"What were you doing anyway?" Sirius asked.

"Play fighting." Ginny replied watching a small scrape on her hand fade in a pale blue light.

"We thought you were really fighting." James frowned. "Come on lets go back down." they all went downstairs.

Dora frowned as she saw Remus covered in blood. Molly and Lily had shrieked when they caught sight of Ginny and Harry with spots of blood on their clothes.

"What happened!" Dora demanded as the five sat down, three of them covered in blood.

"We were play fighting as wolves and Remus got hurt trying to pull Harry away." Ginny explained.

"I'm fine." Remus assured them all. "It's already starting to heal and I can't feel it anymore." he said.

"I think that we should get back to the memories after dinner." Harry said, after cleaning the blood off his clothes and doing the same to Ginny's, Andy cleaned Remus's, making them all nod and go into the kitchen for dinner.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - First Year (Part 5.5)

6th, August, 1998.

"We're going to skip a bit here." Harry said after everyone was comfortable in the living room after a delicious meal. "Basically Hermione here was driving me and Ron mad with studying," everyone laughed as Hermione glared at Harry. "And we had seen Hagrid in the library, he was looking up books on dragons, we went down to see him and we can start with that memory." he explained.

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed.**

**Hagrid called, "Who is it?" before he let them in and then shut the door quickly behind them.**

**It was stiflingly hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate.**

**Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

"Probably a good idea," James snorted.

**"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. There was no point in beating about the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."**

"Wonder what he's gonna tell them?" Sirius said eagerly.

"If you'd just shut up, Sirius, we'd find out!" Dora said irritably.

"What's up with you, Nymphadora?" he asked cheekily, clearly just amused by his cousins reaction. She glared at him.

"Don't - Call - Me - Nymphadora!" she said dangerously. Sirius looked taken aback at how fierce she had sounded.

"Merlin, are all women this scary?" he asked James.

"No. Just the ones we know." James replied.

"HEY!" all the girls said indignantly.

"Well, you are. Look at what you just did to poor Padfoot."

"Poor Padfoot? It wasn't poor Padfoot when you were throwing fire at him!" Dora cried.

James frowned.

"She's got you there, Prongs," Remus grinned putting an arm around his wife. "Good job, Dora. Not many people can shut this one up." Dora blushed slightly and grinned.

**Hagrid frowned at him.**

**"O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn't tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know about Fluffy."**

"They met him, of course." said James happily.

**"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice.**

"Ah, yes." Sirius grinned. "Flattery works like a charm on Hagrid!"

"You should know! The amount of stuff you wheedled out of him when we were at school was bloody well amazing!" Remus laughed.

"Thank you, thank you!" Sirius grinned mock-bowing in his seat.

"That wasn't a compliment Paddy." James said.

"It was to me." he replied shrugging.

**Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really," Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."**

Sirius looked impressed. "You know what your doing." he said approvingly.

"Thank you." Hermione replied blushing.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.**

"You really are good at everything!" Ron said proudly to his girlfriend.

"Except chess." Hermione reminded him.

He just grinned. "Except chess."

**"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers.**

Minerva's jaw dropped. "I can't believe he told you that! He is so easy to manipulate!"

"We know!" the Golden Trio grinned.

**"Professor Quirrell - an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."**

**"Snape?"**

**"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."**

**Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same thing as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it.**

**He probably knew everything - except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy. "You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

**"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

"And it better stay that way." said James firmly missing the looks exchanged by the Trio and Minerva.

**"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

**"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it too.**

**"Hagrid - what's that?"**

**But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

**"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard. "That's - er..."**

"A dragon's egg." Minerva whispered, finishing Hagrid's sentence for him. "I thought that was a joke. Sorry Draco, Harry and Hermione. I'll apologise to Neville the next time I see him as well."

"It's fine it did sound far-fetched." Draco said accepting the apology.

"And we weren't going to tell the truth and get Hagrid in trouble." Harry added.

"Hey Harry?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"Yeah Gin?"

"Why don't we ask Neville and Luna if they would like to join us?" she suggested. "We can explain what's happened with the people who returned and about Lycan's you never know Luna may know something's about them, you know what she's like."

"Yeah I'll go and ask them after this memory." he replied, "I'm sure Neville would like to know that the dragon was real and not just a story."

**"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

"How did you know what it was?" asked James curiously.

"That would be because of Charlie." Ron said.

"Yeah I'm a dragon tamer." Charlie put in. "I taught the twins, Ron and Ginny about most species of dragon when I was home at summer before I went to Romania to work." he explained.

"Cool." Regulus said as the others nodded.

**"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game of cards with a stranger."**

"A stranger who just happened to have a dragon's egg?" Remus scoffed.

**"Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

"No shock there, really." Charlie said, "Norwegian Ridgeback's are quite vicious. Not as bad as the Hungarian Horntail's though."

"You can say that again." Harry grumbled making the people who knew what he meant to laugh and the rest to look confused so he added, "4th year." making them nod.

**"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

**"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow.**

"Reading won't be enough!" Astoria cried.

**"Got this outta the library - Dragon-Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."**

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.**

**"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.**

"See! Hermione will reason with him." Lily said hopefully.

"It's like you've never even met Hagrid!" James laughed. "You do know that he's wanted one for ages, right? He's not going to change his mind because of Hermione! He's probably not even listening!"

Hermione nodded, "He wasn't."

**But Hagrid wasn't listening.**

**He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.**

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.**

Harry said, "I'm going to go see if Neville and Luna want to join us." he left through the back door and there was a faint 'Pop' when he disapparated away.

"Who's Luna?" Lily asked frowning.

"Luna Lovegood. She's Xenophilius's daughter." Remus replied.

"She and Neville are my best friends. The newspapers have us three labeled as the 'Silver Trio' because our role's in the war were quite big if not as big as Harry, Ron and Hermione's parts." Ginny explained. "I think that's where they go the idea actually, those three are the 'Golden Trio' and we're the 'Silver Trio'." she added.

"True and probably is where they got the idea." Hermione agreed, "We led the resistance inside Hogwarts at first, but when we had to leave Ginny, Neville and Luna took over." she explained to the ones who didn't know about what their part in the war was.

"We had to do something." Ginny said as there was another three 'Pop's' signaling Harry's return with Neville and Luna.

"Hello everyone." Neville said as he walked in behind Harry.

"Yes. Hello everyone." Luna said dreamily looking as ever as if she had drifted in accidentally. Ginny got up and hugged them both then sat back down beside Harry.

"I'm guessing there's a few people you don't recognise?" Harry said from his seat. They both nodded taking the free seats beside Harry and Ginny.

"Well I'm guessing you both remember me?" Remus asked.

"Of course Professor Lupin." Neville said, "Though you look younger." he added.

Remus chuckled and nodded. "You don't have to call me Professor anymore just call me Remus." he said, they nodded, "And I am younger but still have all my memories from the war." he explained.

"Wotcher you two." Dora said.

"Hello Dora." Luna said. "It is nice to have you two back." she added dreamily.

"It's nice to be back." she replied.

"I think I can make a guess at who's next." Neville said looking at Sirius. "It's the scary mass-murderer Sirius Black. Isn't it?" Sirius nodded and stood up and mock-bowed making them laugh.

"That's me, well except the scary mass-murderer part." he said.

"We know Harry explained it to us before we came. Plus we were there the night you went through the veil." Neville explained as Luna nodded. "Harry would never lie to us about something like that."

"And the aura I can see around you is clear. If you were guilty it would be cloudy or cracked." Luna said absently.

"Aura?" Sirius asked.

"Yes I can see them I always have been able to." Luna explained. "It's like someones magical signature. I can see their personal colour, everyone's is different more like a fingerprint really."

Ginny frowned. "I thought you had figured out how to stop that?" she asked.

"Oh yes, but it is much more interesting with it." Luna replied smiling slightly. Ginny shrugged.

"We don't know who the rest of you are." Neville admitted.

"Well I'm James Potter and this is my wife Lily. We're obviously Harry's parents." James said.

Neville nodded. "That should have been obvious especially since Harry looks like you Mr. Potter."

"Please just call us James and Lily the Mr and Mrs thing makes us feel old." Lily said smiling as James nodded.

"Okay Lily and James it is then." Luna agreed dreamily.

"I'm Regulus Black, Sirius's little brother you won't have met me before as I died before most of you were born." Regulus said making them nod.

"Hi Neville, Luna." Fred called.

"Hello again Fred." they chorused, making everyone laugh as they looked at each other shocked.

"Okay now that everyone know's who is who, let's continue with the memories." Harry said making everyone nod. "We're skipping to the dragon hatching."

"Wait the dragon was real?" Neville asked shocked. Harry nodded

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching.**

"AWESOME!" yelled James and Sirius.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.**

**"Hermione, how many times are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

"Even you have to admit that's gotta be more interesting than a stupid Herbology class!" Regulus snorted.

"It would have looked suspicious if we hadn't gone to class." she replied.

**"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing -"**

**"Shut up!" Harry whispered.**

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen.**

"Sorry." Draco said. "I was trying to find out something that would get you in trouble again." he admitted wincing.

**How much had he heard?**

"All of it." Draco told them, making them groan.

**Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way down to Herbology, and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle the the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the Forest.**

"What I wouldn't give to see a dragon egg hatch." Sirius sighed breathlessly.

"Yeah. We're about to see a memory of one though." James grinned.

**Hagrid greeted them looking flushed and excited.**

**"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.**

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.**

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.**

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open.**

The women, except Luna who just watched curiously, gasped. James and Sirius edged forwards excitedly as did the rest of the boys, except Charlie who had seen a dragon hatch before.

**The baby dragon flopped down on to the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella.**

"Cool, it looks kinda gross though." Sirius commented.

"Baby dragons always look weak and like they haven't got that much weight on them, they don't start looking powerful until they're about 1-year-old." Charlie explained as Teddy who was still on Andy's lap woke up and looked at the dragon curiously before looking at Dora.

"Mummy." he said reaching for her. Dora picked him up then sat him on her knee.

"Remus can you clean your shirt before Teddy sees it? Your covered in blood." Dora asked making Remus nod and take his wand out and cast a cleaning charm on his shirt making it clean again. "Thank you."

"I actually forgot to do that earlier. It wasn't completely healed when you cleaned it earlier Andy." he explained, "It must've soaked through with the last of the healing." Andy nodded.

Harry quickly explained to Neville and Luna what had happened as they looked confused.

**Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body and it had a long snout with wide nostrils, stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

"And pretty soon the whole cabin will go down in flames!" Astoria said dramatically.

"Merlin, I hope that doesn't happen!" Lily gasped.

"Don't worry, it won't," George assured her, while adding under his breath to Fred, "and we're supposed to be the dramatic ones!" making Fred smirk.

**"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

**"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid.**

"Did he just say -" Regulus started incredulously.

"Yup, I'm afraid he did." James confirmed.

"Has Hagrid gone mad?" Andy asked.

"You know, he may have." Sirius laughed.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded him.

"I was just kidding!"

**"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"**

"Very." Sirius answered her.

"You're not Hagrid, Snuffles." Hermione pointed out.

Sirius pouted as James laughed at the name

"It is fast though." Charlie added, "Ridgebacks take about a week to be classed as a threat due to the fact their poisonous, three months and there deadly." he explained.

**Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

**"What's the matter?"**

**"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid - he's runnin' back up ter the school."**

"Me." Draco said making them all groan again.

**Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.**

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

James swore under his breath so Lily wouldn't hear. Sirius did the same, but with more profane words, only he wasn't as successful with keeping it quiet and Remus heard him.

"Stop that or I'm Silencing you!" he warned him taking his wand out again.

"Yes, Snuffles, it is a very bad thing to swear in front of children." Harry scolded nodding at Teddy who was playing with his wolf again and not paying the slightest bit of attention.

"Sorry." Sirius said. "And quit calling me Snuffles!" he exclaimed.

The Golden Trio looked at each other. "I don't think we will stop calling you Snuffles." Ron said for them. "It's quite fun." Sirius growled.

"Bad dog Snuffles don't growl at people." Harry mock-scolded prompting Sirius to turn into his big black dog, Padfoot, and stalk towards Harry who smirked and changed into Shadow and growled at Padfoot who retreated behind Remus.

"Come on Paddy. You can't honestly be afraid of him?" Remus chortled. Padfoot nodded and changed back into Sirius.

"That growl was scary." Lily said, "But even I could tell he wouldn't do anything. Would you Shadow?"

The wolf shook his head as Teddy spotted him and shouted "Wolf! Wolf." before reaching for Shadow who came closer and sat with his head lowered so Teddy could clap him with help from Dora.

"Oh yeah you two haven't seen our forms yet have you?" Ginny asked Neville and Luna who both looked shocked. They shook their heads so Ginny changed into Misty and Remus into Moony.

"Wow." Neville whispered shocked as Misty walked over to them and sat down, her head level with Neville's even when she was sitting. She stood up and changed into Ginny again.

_Gin? Can you tell Dora that Teddy has a handful of fur on my neck please?_Shadow sent silently.

"Dora, Harry said that I've to tell you that Teddy has a handful of fur on his neck." she said sounding amused.

"Oop's sorry. I didn't notice." Dora replied apologetically untangling Teddy's hand from Shadow's fur. Shadow changed back into Harry who chuckled making Teddy pout, "Dont worry Teddy, you'll see Shadow again later." he promised, Teddy smiled like he understood perfectly.

"Right we're going to skip until the night we got rid of the Dragon. We had convinced Hagrid it was best if it went to live in a colony and had written to Charlie and set up a way to get it to Romania." Hermione explained.

**Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

**"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

"A teddy bear?" James cried incredulously. "What on earth does he need a teddy bear for? He's a bloody dragon! He'll rip it to shreds!"

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though teddy was having his head torn off.**

**"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"**

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer and nearer as they heaved Norbet up the marble staircase, then another - even one of Harry's short cuts didn't make the work much easier.**

"You knew short cuts?" James said happily.

"Yes! And he doesn't even have the map!" Sirius cried.

"Where d'you think it is? Still in Filch's office?" asked James.

"Nope it wasn't." Fred started.

"We had it." George finished grinning.

"We gave it to Harry eventually though." Fred added.

"So that's where you got it from then." Remus said amused. "I had wondered about that." Harry just grinned sheepishly.

**"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.**

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate.**

**Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the two outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing-gown and a hairnet, had Malfoy by the ear.**

"Sorry Draco." Minerva apologised.

He shrugged. "As I said before, it did sound far-fetched."

**"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin. Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -"**

**"You don't understand, Professor, Harry Potter's coming - he's got a dragon!"**

"Sorry." Draco said, again.

"Well, at least Minnie will never buy that story!" Sirius laughed. Minerva glared at him.

**"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the Cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

**"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

**"Don't," Harry advised her.**

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited. Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them.**

**They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.**

**At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.**

"Hooray!" they all cheered.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them.**

"Uh Oh!" James cried.

"What? The dragon's gone!" Sirius yelled happily.

"Did they put that cloak back on?" James asked worriedly.

"Nope." Hermione said solemnly. "We forgot it."

**No more dragon - Malfoy in detention - what could spoil their happiness?**

"Getting caught." James muttered.

**The answer to that was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs.**

**As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

"He's even worse than a teacher!" James cried.

**"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble." They'd left the Invisibility Cloak on top of the tower.**

"Okay let's have a break for Dinner." Harry said. "It's only 4pm so we can continue at 5.30." everyone nodded and started talking while Molly, Lily, Andy and Cissy all went to make dinner.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 - The Minister.

6th, August, 1998.

During dinner everyone was chatting about the memories they had seen so far when Lily decided to ask Neville a question.

"Neville?"

"Yes Lily?" he asked.

"Do you know who your Godparents are?" she asked curiously.

"I didn't even know I had godparents'." he replied.

Lily smiled sadly. "You may want to know that I'm your Godmother and James is your Godfather then." she said gently.

"Really?" Neville asked shocked, "I never knew. My Gran never told me."

"Yes really. Your mother was Harry's Godmother as well, we were best friends at Hogwarts and throughout the first war." she told him.

Harry looked up from across the table. "What was that Mum?" he asked.

"Oh I was just telling Neville that me and your father are his Godparents and that his mother, Alice, was your Godmother." she told her son, who was shocked.

"I never knew that." Harry said simply. "What about you Nev? Did you know?" Neville shook his head. "Well you learn something new everyday." he chuckled.

"Hello?" a voice said in a deep booming voice from the living room.

"That's the Floo. I'll get it, it's probably Kingsley." Harry said going through to the living room. Sure enough there in the fire was the head of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Hello minister. What can I do for you today?" Harry asked, knowing it must be important.

"Ah, Harry. Just the man I wanted to see. I've been informed by some of the Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries that there was a massive burst of magic here a few days ago, I was wondering if you could explain it to me?" he asked.

"Well... we had a visit from... a powerful being." Harry replied hesitantly.

"A powerful being?"

"Yes you see..." Harry sighed and went on to explain to Kingsley what had happened in the last few day's.

When he had finished, Kingsley was shocked.

"So we have had 7 people return from the dead?" Kingsley finally asked, "Your positive that they are not imposters?"

"Positive Minister. They know things only they would know. My parent's for example know what they had been doing just before the attack where they lost their lives I'm the only other person on the planet who know's exactly what happened except them and Voldemort. But we all saw them come through the portal anyway." Harry explained.

"Well can I come through and see this for myself?"

"Of course." Harry replied stepping back as Kingsley came through the Floo. "They are in the kitchen I'll tell them that the Minister has arrived." Harry went through to the kitchen with Kingsley behind him. "Everyone," he called making everyone look up. "the Minister of Magic is here. He knows everything." he added.

"Kingsley your the Minister?" Dora asked shocked, "Good for you."

"Yes. Hello everyone." he added in his deep booming voice. "And to the people who have returned welcome back."

"I'm going to put a guess in and say you recognise everyone except me." Regulus smirked making Kingsley nod. "Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother."

"Nice to meet you, but weren't you a Death Eater?" Kingsley asked shaking his hand.

"I was yes, but I wanted out about a year before I died." Regulus replied. Kingsley nodded again.

"Oh Kingsley, I've been thinking about making a few changes to the Hogwarts curriculum, but I'd like to run them by you first if that's alright." Minerva said thoughtfully.

"What were you thinking Minerva?" he asked.

"Well I was thinking about adding an extra 2 years, so it's 7 years of the usual education and 2 that are dedicated to what field a student want's to join like the Aurors or Healer's." she explained. "It will save time on training program's and give the student's time to get ready for entering the world of work. After all 17, or even 18 or 19 in some cases, is a bit young to be leaving school."

Kingsley frowned in thought, "I think that's actually a few good points. Especially the part about it being a bit young to be going out and getting a job with hardly any help." he replied hesitantly, "I think that even though training programs are necessary for the experience an extra 2 years of education could cut the time to around 6 months instead of 2 and a half or 3 years of training, they would only need real experience."

Minerva smiled, "That's what I was thinking."

"What are you eight thinking about doing next year?" Kingsley asked Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Draco and Astoria.

"Well I'm pregnant so being a mother is on the top of the list." Astoria said.

"Congratulation's." Kingsley said.

"I was thinking about becoming a Healer." Draco said thoughtfully, "Or a Potions Master."

"I was going to ask Minerva if I could help Professor Sprout teach Herbology." Neville commented.

Minerva smiled, "That would be fine Neville. I'm always glad to see young people interested in teaching." she told him making him beam.

"I'm returning for my N.E.W.T's." Luna said, "Then I'll help Daddy with the Quibbler."

"I would like to join the Department for the Control of Magical Creature's. Some of the old laws are really outdated and I'd like to make a difference. Or I'd like to teach." Hermione said smiling. "But I'd like to return to school to do my N.E.W.T's if possible." she added.

"I'd like to become an Auror." Ron said. "But I also wouldn't mind teaching Strategy or if I had help Defence Against the Dark Arts." he explained, "I'd need to do my N.E.W.T's in anycase."

"I don't know what I'd like to do..." Ginny trailed off uncertainly. "I think I'd like to play Professional Quidditch... but I'm not sure. I'll need to return for my 7th year anyway." she added.

Everyone looked at Harry waiting for his answer, he frowned in thought.

"I know that I wanted to be an Auror but after the war I'm just tired of fighting all the time... I've fought the Dark Arts, basically, since I was 14 years old." he said with haunted eyes, "I have considered teaching though, I really enjoyed teaching in my 5th year when I was teaching the DA." he explained. "But I'd like to do my N.E.W.T's too."

"Well I don't have a vacancy for next year for DADA as it has already been taken by an Auror that was injured in the war and cannot return to the force until she is recovered," Minerva explained, "But if you choose to return then there is a class of muggleborn students who didn't get in when Voldemort controlled the wizarding world. They will need extra teaching through their first and second years to catch up to their supposed to be year mate's." she added.

"I'd like that. I could do Defence Against the Dark Arts for the muggleborns while doing my N.E.W.T's." Harry commented, "What about you lot? What do you think?" he asked the other teens.

"Teaching would be nice. Your right Harry, if we return to do our N.E.W.T's we could teach too. I could do History of Magic." Hermione nodded.

"Yeah it would be nice." Ginny commented. "I could do Flying lessons and Charms too."

"I could do Care of Magical Creatures." Luna put in.

"I could do Transfiguration with the Muggleborns." Draco added. "I'd like to do my N.E.W.T's as well."

"I could handle the Herbology classes." was Neville's input.

"I could help Harry with DADA." Ron said smiling at his best friend, who nodded. "And I can do some lessons on strategy." he added as an afterthought.

"If you didn't mind having a pregnant witch around the school I could come in to do Astronomy with them it was my best subject." Astoria explained, "And I'd have had to return to do my 7th year anyway."

"That would be fine with me." Minerva smiled, "I'll certainly appreciate any help possible. It's going to be the biggest 1st and 2nd years since the days of the founders."

"I'll bet it will." James snorted.

"Of course it will Prong's." Sirius said, "Kingsley? What will happen to me? I'm supposed to be an escaped convict."

"Your name has been cleared Sirius, I made sure of it after the war. We had the body of Peter Pettigrew confirmed to us and Harry helped by showing his memories in court." Kingsley explained smiling. "All I'll have to do now is get the 7 of you declared alive. This is going to mean a lot of paperwork." he groaned. Everyone chuckled. "No idea what your laughing at Harry, your helping me, you too Ginny." they both groaned making everyone laugh harder.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"Easy, I don't know how much you want made public and you have to help register your 'Lycan' virus as a species." he explained.

"Urgh..." Harry groaned. "Can it wait until we finish going through my First Year?" he asked.

"Of course it can." replied Kingsley. "As long as it's done by the end of the month."

"Okay we should get back to the memories it's 5.30pm so we can watch about 3 more." Harry explained, "Kingsley you're welcome to join us." he said as they all went back through to the living room.

"It would be nice but I need to get back to the office, I might return in the morning though. Goodbye everybody." Kingsley said before going back through the Floo.

"Okay we can start from where we left off." Harry said.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 - First Year (Part 6)

6th, August, 1998. 5.30pm.

"Okay basically what has happened is that we got taken to Minerva's office and that's where we will start." Harry explained.

**Things couldn't have been worse.**

"I bet they could have!" Sirius grinned.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other.**

"We were never that quiet. Padfoot always complained about getting caught." Remus commented.

**Hermione was trembling**

They all grinned as Hermione went pink.

"I wasn't used to being in trouble." she said.

**Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain,**

"They never work, Harry," James said wisely. "She can always tell."

Sirius shuddered. "I don't know how she does it."

"Call it teachers intuition." Minerva smiled.

**each more feeble than the last.**

"Never stopped us from using them anyway." Sirius snorted.

"Unless I was there you mean." Remus mused, "I could usually get us out of too much trouble." he explained.

"Unless you weren't there. In that situation we usually ended up with a week or more of detentions." James muttered.

**He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered.**

"Well, it can't be worse than detention and a few points, right?" James asked. "We done worse."

"Yeah." Sirius agreed.

"Thank Merlin for that." Remus sighed.

**How could they have been so stupid as to forget the Cloak?**

"Even the best make mistakes, Harry." James grinned. "Except me, seeing as I'm so damn perfect!"

Sirius snorted. "Yeah right!"

"Hey!"

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.**

"That sounds like a challenge!" Sirius grinned.

"No, Sirius, don't." Remus sighed.

"Dont what?" Bill asked.

"Challenge! I have to come up with an excuse good enough!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I bet you can't come up with one!" James grinned.

"You're on, mate!"

**Add Norbert and the Invisibility Cloak and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

"But no one knows about the cloak." James pointed out.

"But I suppose someone could find it." Lily commented.

**Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

Their jaws dropped.

"Neville?" Dora asked confused.

"I was trying to warn Harry about Draco." Neville explained, blushing.

**"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"**

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen.**

"Not good." Astoria said.

"No really?" Ron said sarcastically.

**She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

**"I would never have believed it of any of you."**

"Funny how you gave up saying that to us after our 3rd year." Sirius grinned.

"Because I expected it from you." Minerva said simply.

"Then why didn't you expect it of Harry? He is Prongs's son after all." Remus asked.

"He's Lily's son too." she replied simply, an amused smile on her lips.

"Yes but I think it's safe to say I have troublemaker blood in my veins, even if I don't use it often." Harry smirked. Ginny, Ron and Hermione stared at him, "What? I don't go looking for trouble." he said defensively, "Trouble usually finds me." he grinned, most in the room laughed at that while a few just rolled their eye's or groaned.

**"Mr. Filch says you were up the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."**

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question.**

**She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

**"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall.**

"I'll bet you don't." Dora said.

"You always tried that tired old line on us." Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"Well it usually worked to make the student's panic and blurt out their stories." Minerva defended herself.

**"It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble."**

"Wrong." Harry sang.

**"I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"**

**Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt.**

"I thought that the dragon was a story." Neville admitted.

**Poor, blundering Neville -**

"Hey!" Neville said, blushing, "I wasn't that bad."

"Sorry Neville, but you really were." Hermione said apologetically. Neville frowned but nodded grudgingly. "Your way better now though." she added. Neville's lips twitched up a little.

"She's right Nev," Ginny said. "I can remember in your fourth year, my third, that you said you did have trouble casting some of the spell's you were meant to work on and you can do them fine now." she told him. Neville gave up fighting it and smiled gratefully at Ginny and Hermione.

**Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.**

Lily sighed. "You tried to help them but wound up getting caught yourself." she mumbled.

**"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall.**

"You threw that at us once in a while too." Sirius said slowly.

"Not too much though. Definitely not first year." James said.

**"Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before!"**

"That's a lie!" James cried.

"Yeah! What about us Marauders?" Sirius yelled.

"We've been caught together plenty of times!" James said.

"I was trying to make them feel bad about what they had done." Minerva admitted.

"It worked." Harry, Hermione and Neville replied together with identical pouts on their faces.

**"You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense."**

"She does!" Ron cried. "She knew we had to get rid of that bloody dragon."

Everyone laughed, even Molly after trying to look disapproving at his language.

**"As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous -"**

"Dangerous?" James asked.

"Must have something to do with the Stone." Remus shrugged.

**"and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."**

**"Fifty?" Harry gasped - they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

**"Fifty points each,"**

Everyone froze.

"FIFTY EACH!" Sirius yelled. "That's a bit much Minnie." he complained

"Yeah you only took 20 off of Draco." Harry said, "But if I had said anything then I would have lost more points."

"I'm sorry I agree that it was a bit much." Minerva admitted.

**said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long pointed nose.**

**"Professor - please -"**

**"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."**

"They were doing a favour for Hagrid!" James thundered.

"Yeah! It wasn't their fault!" Sirius yelled.

"And I'm pretty sure you must have been more ashamed of these two when they hung all those Slytherin's in our year upside down for no reason." Remus said fairly looking at his fellow Marauders.

"True." Minerva sighed.

"Or the time they woke up the entire castle at midnight." Remus added.

"Which time? We must have done that a million times." Sirius asked.

"Everytime we did it."

"We get it boys. Enough already." Minerva said, rolling her eyes.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the House Cup.**

"Hagrid -" began James.

"It's not his fault." Lily said.

"Not his fault that he got a dragon?" Charlie asked skeptically.

"Well -" James started.

"Exactly!" Fred said as George nodded.

"It's Hagrid." Harry shrugged, "Getting in trouble was worth it and we all know what he's like."

**Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.**

Sirius snorted. "That's an interesting analogy." he laughed.

"I'm surprised you know what an analogy is." Cissy commented.

**How could they ever make up for this?**

"Simple, you don't. You just wait on everyone forgiving you or forgetting about it." Fred said.

"That's what we done when we lost a large amount of points in one go." George added.

"Yeah, we figured that much out ourselves funnily enough." Harry said rolling his eyes, "Besides something always happened that either made the other Gryffindor's think that I was going to murder them in their sleep or to make the school think I was evil, insane or unbalanced." he added pouting.

"Harry, you know you couldn't control that." Ginny said, "And you know you always had us." she added, "We always believed you when you said you didn't do it or we just know you wouldn't do it."

The rest of the room nodded.

"You know I never really believed half the rumors that flew around Hogwarts." Draco admitted, "You never did seem unbalanced or insane." he smirked wickedly, "And you were Dumbledore's golden boy, the least likely to do anything wrong or evil."

"Well thanks for clearing that up." Harry said sarcastically, "I feel, soooooo, much better."

"Come on we were forgiven in the end." Neville put in.

"Yeah look on the bright side Harry you weren't alone with being hated. Ron never hated us and managed to get Seamus and Dean to talk to us again." Hermione said smiling at her boyfriend.

"She's right mate." Ron added.

"I suppose. Okay then how about another memory or two then?" he asked. Everyone nodded so he got up and changed the memory.

* * *

><p><strong>Review please x<strong>

**Oh and for future reference it turns out I've messed up the timeline a bit saying Dora was in first year the Marauders 7th year but that Andy wasn't disowned until Sirius was 9. I cant remember if it's come up yet but if it has I apologize but I still wont change it, I will try to stick to one timeline but occasionally it might go odd and I ask you to ignore it in favour of reading the story, all of it should still make sense anyway. Happy reading! x**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 - First Year (Part 6.5)

6th, August, 1998. 5.30pm.

"Okay this one is of me hearing Quirrell talking, supposedly to himself, in a classroom." Harry explained.

**Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead.**

**As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.**

**"No - no - not again, please -"**

"What's going on?" Minerva asked, "It sounds like he's begging for something to stop."

"You will find out soon. I promise." Harry said.

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer.**

**"All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob.**

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom, straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry.**

"Why does it look like he's been tortured?" Cissy asked.

"I'm not telling." Harry said simply.

"We don't know everything." Ron said.

Hermione nodded, "We only know the basics the same as what Dumbledore knew." she added. "We didn't bother asking."

**He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end.**

**Harry was halfway towards it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.**

"Damn." George muttered, "What a stupid thing to promise yourself." he smirked.

"How long did it last?" Fred asked.

"Um... Not long, probably about 3-4 weeks." Harry shrugged.

**All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room** **and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.**

"Were skipping a bit. This is the morning after the day I heard Quirrell." Harry explained.

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the Entrance Hall.**

**Prof. M. McGonagall**

"It's detention time." sighed Hermione.

"Oh well, you still had a better record than us." Ron shrugged.

"Yeah, I think you only ever got like 25 detentions through our whole time at Hogwarts." Harry shrugged.

"How many do you think you got?" James asked curiously.

"Um..." Harry frowned, "I lost count at 100." he admitted.

"I think everyone lost count." Minerva sighed, "I counted to 213 and gave up." she added.

"I'll count them from now and hopefully we'll have an approximate number by the time we're done." Hermione smiled, "I'll count for Ron and I too."

"Good plan, I'll help." Harry smiled. "I know it was a lot since I know more than half the things the Marauders got detention for thanks to sorting out Filch's filing cabinet."

"That is a lot." Lily nodded, "I know the Marauders had roughly 890 during our whole 7 years." she added.

**Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost.**

**He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of revision lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they got.**

"You got that right." Hermione scoffed. "We were just plain stupid to get caught."

"I agree 100% with you 'Mione." Harry smirked. "We were stupid to get caught but I'm glad we got rid of that stupid dragon." he added making her nod.

**At eleven o'clock that night they said goodbye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy.**

**Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had got a detention, too.**

"Of course I did." Draco pouted.

**"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he continued, leering at them.**

"Couldn't count the number of times he used that useless, tired old line on us." Sirius said.

**"Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled incase they're ever needed..."**

"He's weird." Regulus said.

"Took you long enough to realize." James scoffed.

"Well he tended to avoid the Slytherin's." Regulus defended himself.

"It's true, he'd usually disappear if there were large numbers of Slytherin's walking down the corridor." Cissy frowned.

"It's because he's a squib. He knows about the reputation of Slytherin house and how a few of them are about blood purity." Minerva explained making them nod. "He was terrified if anyone pointed a wand at him." she added making them all chuckle or giggle.

**"Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."**

**They marched off across the grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.**

**The moon was bright,**

"Full moon?" Remus joked.

"Yes actually." Harry replied amused.

"What!" Remus, James and Sirius shouted looking at Minerva for answers.

"Don't look at me it wasn't me who set the detention it was Albus." Minerva said defensively. "I didn't know he was sending them into the Forbidden Forrest until they were in there already."

"Didn't he realise that's when the forest is most dangerous?" James demanded, "Even when Moony isn't there."

"True." Sirius said frowning, "But Werewolves aren't the only dangerous thing that come out on full moons." James nodded.

"Very true." Remus frowned, "There are loads of nocturnal animals that are most active at the full moon. I've got distant memories of hunting them down with Padfoot." he explained and Sirius nodded.

"I think I'll save you all the panic and worry and tell you that we were all fine if a bit frightened." Neville commented glaring at Draco who blushed.

**but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout. "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."**

**Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad.**

"Brilliant." James said, "Almost nothing will attack Hagrid."

**His relief mush have shown on his face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?"**

"He is not an oaf!" most of the room shouted.

**"Well, think again, boy - it's into the Forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."**

"That's nice of him. Creepy old git." James growled.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.**

"Wuss." James muttered.

"Be fair Prongs, we didn't start going into the forest until we were in second year." Remus pointed out.

"Fine." James admitted sulkily.

**"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things there - werewolves, I heard."**

"Wonder where kids got that idea?" Remus asked sarcastically. They all laughed.

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.**

**"That's your lookout, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"**

"And why would we think that?" Ron asked sarcastically. "'Oh no we better not get in trouble or we might be eaten by a werewolf'."

"Like that would stop anyone causing trouble." Remus said sarcastically. "I think I was the only werewolf that actually went to Hogwarts." he added as an afterthought.

"You were." Minerva smiled. "But I doubt even the smartest of students would automatically think they'd be sent out-of-bounds for rule breaking." she frowned, "I don't know what Albus was thinking."

"I know he was thinking 'These students were caught out-of-bounds so lets send them even more out-of-bounds as punishment'." Harry smirked. Everyone laughed.

**Hagrid came striding towards them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.**

**"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"**

**"I wouldn't be too friendly with them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they are here to be punished, after all."**

**"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'S'not your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

**"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back towards the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.**

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

**"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.**

**"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."**

**"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do."**

"I was terrified." Draco admitted.

"I would be too." Astoria assured him.

**"I thought we'd be writing lines or something. If my father knew I was doing this,"**

"Does the ickle baby Malfoy need dada to make the bad forest go away?" Sirius said in a voice one would use while talking to a baby.

"Shut up." Draco snapped.

**"he'd -"**

**"- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Writin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"**

**Malfoy didn't move.**

**He looked at Hagrid furiously but then dropped his gaze.**

**"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."**

**He led them to the very edge of the Forest. Holding his lamp up high he pointed down a long narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the Forest.**

**"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood."**

Lily shrieked. Molly gasped. Dora clutched Remus's arm in horror.

"Merlin! How'd they manage to hurt a unicorn?" Sirius cried shocked.

"That's not the question we need to be asking, Padfoot." Remus said solemnly.

"We need to know who they are that did it." Regulus said quietly.

**"There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

"That poor unicorn!" Lily whispered sadly.

**"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

"Little scaredy-cat," James taunted, but this time he didn't sound so convincing.

"I'd bloody well be scared too!" Bill said. "There's something out there fast and strong and evil enough to kill a unicorn! You'd be an idiot not to be a bit scared!"

James nodded his head.

**"There's nothin' that lives in the Forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've been staggerin' around since last night at least."**

**"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

"Idiot. He's a right coward." Sirius laughed. "Hagrid would be way better."

**"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville an' Fang'll go the other.**

**"Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practise now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."**

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path and Harry, Hermione and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville and Fang took the right.**

**They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground.**

**Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver blue blood on the fallen leaves.**

**Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

**"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.**

"Why jump to werewolves?" Dora asked curiously.

"I didn't know much about them." he admitted quietly.

"None of us did." Hermione added.

"Are werewolves even fast enough to catch unicorns?" Astoria asked frowning.

"Nope, they're not." Remus told her. "I tried it once with Padfoot I think."

Sirius nodded, "I couldn't get him to stop chasing it so I followed him instead with Prongs not far behind."

"We ran for about an hour before Moony gave up and chased a rabbit back to the edge of the forest instead." James chuckled, "For a werewolf you were a softie when it came to rabbits Moony."

Remus grinned, "Probably because the side of me in control figured out it was more fun to chase them than eat them."

"Like with Prongs?" Sirius suggested, "You tried to eat him until I tackled you."

"Making Moony realise you were the Alpha and he'd better not eat the stag because it was with you, making the four of us a pack... I tried to eat Wormtail too I think."

"You did." James smirked, "And you stepped on him once, broke three ribs and a leg."

"Somehow I don't feel very sorry about that." Remus shrugged.

**"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

**They walked past a mossy tree-stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

**"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt an' then we'll be able ter - GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. he pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby; it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground.**

"What is it?" Lily gasped quietly.

**Hagrid was squinting up that dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

Sirius, who had been sitting on edge, said, "Damn. Got away."

"Damn?" Lily said incredulously, letting go of James. "You should be glad whatever that was went away!"

**"I knew it," he murmered. "There's summat in here that shouldn't be."**

**"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.**

"You shouldn't keep saying stuff about werewolves." Dora frowned.

"Dora you've got to remember most werewolves are seen as monsters." Remus reminded her gently. "Besides I'm fine with it, I've heard it all before and I'm not a werewolf anymore." he added.

**"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."**

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

They all gulped. Those who knew what happened looked mildly amused.

**"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!"**

**And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse?**

"Just a centaur." breathed Lily, thoroughly relieved.

**To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped.**

**"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow.**

**"There's summat bad loose in this Forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."**

"I think we realized that." Harry commented. Everyone chuckled.

**"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

**"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

**"Erm -"**

**"A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

**"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid glancing up too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?**

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upwards, then sighed again.**

**"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

**"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."**

"He meant something on earth." Luna stated, "Though Mars being bright could be a bad thing."

"It means trouble and war." Astoria nodded, "And that's not Divination." she added at the skeptical looks she'd been getting, "It's Astrology and fact. In history every big battle has happened when Mars was very visible and very bright. And if there wasnt a battle there was trouble all day."

Luna nodded, "The final battle happened and Mars was brighter than it's been in years. The fact that it's always bright when something very bad happens proves it's a sign. Mars is the 'Red Planet' for a reason you know, red usually symbolises fire and fire is destruction most of the time."

"I don't think that ever came up in our Astrology classes." Hermione frowned, "I've never heard of it."

"It's in the advanced book, for people wanting to do their Mastery in it." Astoria explained, "I'd considered getting my Mastery in it so I got the book. I'll admit it's got a lot of history mixed into it, if you want I'll let you have a look sometime." Hermione nodded looking interested.

"And I was just curious." Luna added. "I've always found planets and stars interesting."

**"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"**

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The Forest hides many secrets."**

**A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder looking than Ronan.**

**"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

**"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

**"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? Only there's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?"**

"He's going to say the same thing." Remus sighed.

"You don't know that." Sirius said.

"Oh yes I do."

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skywards.**

**"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.**

"Told you so." Remus smirked as Sirius huffed and the others laughed.

"Padfoot you have to learn that Moony is almost always right." James grinned.

**"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily.**

**"Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."**

**Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

**"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy star-gazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

"And believe me, that gets annoying." Sirius said.

"How would you know?" Minerva asked suspiciously.

"Well, you can't expect us to have gone into the Forest and not have seen any centaurs." James smirked.

**"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.**

**"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if I ever want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."**

**"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.**

**"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before."**

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched.**

"Urgh. I hate that." Sirius shuddered.

**He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them.**

**They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

**"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks"**

They all looked at each other worriedly.

**"the others are in trouble!"**

**"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted.**

"What? Take them with you!" Lily cried.

"And let them see whatever it was that the others are facing?" Andy asked.

"I guess not." she sighed.

**"Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"**

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

**"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

**"I don't care if Malfoy has,"**

"That's the way to think, Harry." James grinned as Draco pouted.

"Sorry Draco." Harry said smirking.

**"but if something's got Neville... It's our fault he's here in the first place."**

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?**

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville and Fang were with him.**

"Thank Merlin." breathed Lily.

**Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him for a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

"Bloody, slimy little Slytherin git!" Sirius snarled.

"Hey!" the Slytherin's in the room shouted.

"Sorry."

**"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we gotta get this done."**

"That was true." Neville chuckled. "You always have been more difficult to scare than me."

Harry smiled at him. "Your courage was just hiding, all you needed was a confidence boost." Neville nodded gratefully.

**So Harry set off into the heart of the Forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the Forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick.**

**Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker.**

"I thought that too." Draco admitted.

**There were splashes on the roots of a tree as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by.**

**Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.**

"A... Clearing?" Remus frowned.

"Stay away from it!" James warned.

"Yeah, any clearings in the forest are creepy and leave you open for attack." Sirius said worriedly.

**"Look -" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy.**

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground.**

"The unicorn." Remus muttered.

"Get away from it!" Lily cried.

"That isn't the Potter way, Lily." James smirked.

"Who gives a damn about the Potter way? If something happens to him -"

"He'll be fine. It's just an injured unicorn."

"But what if the thing that hurt it is there too!"

"Oh. Right. It... er... let's just see."

**They inched closer.**

**It was a unicorn all right, and it was dead.**

"At - at least it's out of it's misery." Percy said solemnly.

**Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly white on the dark leaves.**

**Harry had taken one step towards it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood.**

They all froze.

"Oh no!" Lily cried.

"Please let it be a snake or something!" James begged.

"Snake would help." Harry snorted sarcastically, "Especially a big poisonous one that could kill me in seconds. I doubt any snake would listen to me anyway if I spoke to it."

"Okay... No snake..." he muttered.

**A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast.**

The women screamed. Even Dora, who was hardly scared of anything, what with being an Auror.

The men stared wide-eyed at the memory.

**Harry, Malfoy and Fang stood transfixed.**

"Run," muttered James.

"RUN!" Lily yelled.

"SEND UP THE BLOODY SPARKS!" Sirius cried.

**The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, it lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.**

Everyone looked disgusted.

"What kind of a monster drinks unicorn blood?" James spat in disgust.

"A very, very, very evil and desperate one." Remus said.

"Unicorn blood. Doesn't that give you a cursed life or something?" Andy asked.

"Yes. Yes it does." Luna answered quietly.

**"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"**

**Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted -**

"Idiot!" James cursed. "Now it's gonna see you. Damn it!"

**so did Fang.**

**The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry -**

They froze again.

"RUN HARRY!" they all yelled.

Harry looked amused.

**unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.**

**It got to its feet and came swiftly towards him - he couldn't move for fear.**

**Then a pain pierced his head like he'd never felt before, it was as though his scar was on fire -**

"Your... scar?" Remus said thoughtfully. "Why would that be hurting?" he asked.

"Well I know the reason but you will find out when I do." Harry told them.

**half-blinded, he staggered backwards. He heard hooves behind him, galloping,**

"Hooves?" James asked hopefully. "Is it one of the centaurs?"

**and something jumped clean over him, charging at the figure.**

"Thank Merlin." Lily sighed in relief.

**The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees.**

Lily and James' eyes widened.

**It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blonde hair and a palomino body.**

**"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.**

**"Yes - thank you - what was that?"**

**The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar which stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.**

**"You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time -"**

"It is never safe!" Lily yelled.

"Easy, Lily. I might go deaf." Remus winced.

"Sorry." she said as Remus, Harry and Ginny rubbed their ears.

**"especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber on to his back.**

"Aw, they never let us ride them." James moaned, happier now that he knew Harry was safe.

"Not that we asked," Remus added. "But Padfoot did... hint at it a lot, to say the least." Sirius rolled his eyes.

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

"Uh Oh." James and Remus said together.

"What?" asked the twins.

"Centaurs are... very proud creatures. The others won't like the fact that there's a human sitting on his back. Not one bit." Luna explained.

**"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a man on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

**"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves the Forest, the better."**

**"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"**

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously.**

**"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said, in his gloomy voice.**

"Exactly! He's a big boy, he can do what he wants to." Jame said cheerfully.

**Bane kicked his legs in anger.**

**"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our Forest!"**

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger,** **so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.**

**"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret?"**

James and Sirius snickered.

"Hah! This centaur has attitude!" James cried.

**"I set myself against what is lurking in this Forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."**

"Thank God at least one of 'em is normal." James snorted.

"Normal-ish." Harry corrected. "He's still a little odd."

**And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.**

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on.**

**"Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"**

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches but did not answer Harry's questions.**

**They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.**

**"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"**

"Does he honestly expect a firstie to know that?" James scoffed.

**"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail-hair in Potions."**

**"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself and you will have but a half life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."**

**Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.**

**"But, who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud.**

"Voldemort." most of them said.

**"If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"**

**"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"**

**"The Philosopher's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"**

**"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"**

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."**

**"Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was Vol -"**

**"Harry! Harry, are you all right?"**

"Luckily, he is." Lily smiled at her son who grinned back.

**Hermione was running towards them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

**"I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."**

**"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."**

**Harry slid off his back.**

**"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."**

"They are hardly ever wrong, though." Remus sighed.

"Hm... Did you ever find out what the planets told him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, same thing Trelawny told me in her class." Harry sighed.

Ginny poked his shoulder then patted his head, "You don't look or feel like a ghost to me, I think they got it wrong." she smiled.

"Good to know." he chuckled as the others laughed a little.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the Forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him. Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake.**

**In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the Forest.**

**Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.**

"You need to calm down a bit." Ginny commented.

**"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the Forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."**

"So it was Voldemort?" Remus asked ,Harry nodded. "I'd heard rumors but I wasn't sure." he explained.

**"Stop saying that name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.**

"Ron," James said, "Fear of a name only... er... something, something, something, I forgot."

Remus laughed. "It's fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"I know it just took 7 years to learn that." Ron grinned.

**Harry wasn't listening.**

**"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me..."**

"Oh, that's nice of him." James said angrily.

"I can't believe you managed to figure all that out." Minerva said. "You must have more of Lily in you than we all thought."

"Not many people have seen that side of Harry." Hermione explained, "It's really only me and Ron."

"I've seen bits of that side too." Ginny added.

"That's because I don't use it much." Harry admitted.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

Harry shrugged, "No idea."

**"I suppose that's written in the stars as well."**

**"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.**

**"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."**

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a work of comfort.**

**"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune telling to me, and Professor Mcgonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."**

"It is though, the future can always change." Minerva frowned.

**The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.**

"Oh Merlin, what could possibly happen now?" Lily cried.

**When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his Invisibility Cloak folded neatly underneath them.**

"Ah. Brilliant." James grinned.

**There was a note pinned to it:**

**Just in case.**

"Okay everyone we will have a short 10 minute break again we need to discuss what to show next." Hermione announced motioning for Ron and Harry to follow her into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 - First Year (Part 7)

6th, August, 1998. 7.30pm.

In the kitchen Hermione turned to the two boys.

"Are we going to show the whole day or just before we went through the trap door?" she asked.

"I was going to show it from where I figured out about Hagrid and the Dragons egg." Harry said. "It seemed logical as that day nothing really happened untill the afternoon." he explained.

"Seems good enough to me." Ron said.

"Okay." Hermione agreed.

"And from there I'll show the rest of what happened." Harry added sulkily. "Your not going to like it. No one is."

They went back through to the living room and Harry changed the memory.

"Okay everyone things are going to speed up from here." he announced, "This ones from the day after we finished our first year exams." he explained as the memory started.

**When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

"You wouldn't be normal if you could!" Charlie exclaimed.

**"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione,**

"Of course that's what you say." Ron smiled fondly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

**as they joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct"**

Everyone's jaw fell open.

"I don't even remember what that was about!" Remus cried. "And I was a bloody werewolf!"

**"or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."**

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterwards,**

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Sirius said, looking pointedly at Remus.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You alway done our heads in after any exams or tests." James replied. Remus just smirked.

"And how do you know I wasn't doing it just to annoy you as payback for you doing it to me all year?" James and Sirius pouted as Remus grinned and the others snickered.

**but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree.**

"Ahh." James sighed. "Much better."

**The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan**

"Brilliant. They should be up to something fun!" James grinned.

**were tickling the tentacles of the giant squid,**

"Oh, we must've done that a million times!" Fred exclaimed.

"He likes it." George nodded.

**which was basking in the warm shallows.**

**"No more revision," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done,"**

James snorted.

**"there's no need to worry yet."**

"Harry you don't need to worry!" James said. "With me and Lily as your parents, you were bound to get O's in everything!"

"Assuming he doesn't have too much of James, that is." Lily added in a stage whisper.

"I heard that!"

"I think you were meant to." Cissy snorted.

**Harry was rubbing his forehead.**

**"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

**"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

**"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."**

"Danger?" Remus frowned.

"That can't be good." Andy commented, she quickly checked on Teddy who was playing happily in his playpen.

"It's not." Harry said shortly making them, all except Ron and Hermione, groan.

"Is it bad that we're actually used to being in danger?" Ron asked conversationally.

"Probably." Harry and Hermione replied grinning.

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. "Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around."**

"But he isn't always around," Remus said quietly. Dora, who was closest to him and heard it the most clearly, turned to stare at him.

"He leaves the school?"

"Course he does," Minerva replied. "He had a life outside of Hogwarts, you know!"

"Still. It can't be safe with the Stone around!" Regulus moaned.

"Yeah." Bill sighed. "But I'm guessing there's extra protections that went up when he wasn't there?" Minerva nodded.

**"Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry."**

"Not necessarily true," James commented. "He messed with us all the time, no matter how much we did to him."

**"And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down. And if Hagrid can think of raising a dragon, he sure as hell can -"**

**Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.**

**When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I realised we'd done that one."**

"I don't think that was my problem exactly." Harry smirked as Hermione blushed.

**Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter towards the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters.**

**Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but - Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.**

"Brilliant, you've figured something out," James grinned.

**"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

**"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had gone white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

"Why?" asked James.

"I explain in a minute." Harry replied

**"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

**"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?"**

"Oh no!" gasped Lily, grabbing James's shoulder again. James gulped.

**"How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"**

**"What are you on about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards the forest, didn't answer.**

"It was just plain annoying when you did that." Hermione pouted.

"I'm guessing you did that often?" Percy asked.

"Yup." Harry grinned.

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

**"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

**"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut across him.**

**"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

**"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn't take his cloak off."**

"WHAT?" they all yelled.

"Oh, it's got to be the - erm - person who's trying to break in then!" Sirius exclaimed, correcting himself as he went.

"You don't think it was Snape then?" Astoria asked curiously.

Sirius shook his head, "Dumbledore wouldn't have trusted him if he had tried to steal it and he was still at the school when I escaped." he explained. "I just realised it couldn't be him or he would've been sacked."

**He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

**"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head -"**

"The Hog's Head?" James scoffed.

"No wonder they had a weird bloke with a dragon's egg in there!" Neville laughed. "Aberforth doesn't really care who goes in as long as they can pay."

**"that's the pub down in the villiage."**

"Why not the Three Broomsticks?" Fred asked.

"It's loads better after all." George added.

**"Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."**

**Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas.**

**"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

**"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember.**

"So yes, then," Remus said.

"Merlin. He must've been a bit drunk. No wonder he doesn't remember." James sighed.

**"Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home..."**

"Merlin, here it comes." Sirius said.

**"so I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."**

"There it is. That Stone is as good as stolen now." Sirius confirmed.

"But he hasn't said how to get past it yet." Lily said hopefully.

"That'll come soon enough."

"Always the optimist, eh Moony?" Sirius scoffed.

"Yup."

**"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked,**

"Well who wouldn't be interested in a three-headed dog?" Dora scoffed.

"Not if you're the one that has to face it!" James said.

**trying to keep his voice calm.**

**"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -"**

"Oh no!" Fred moaned.

"Damn it!" George cursed, ignoring his mothers glare.

"Now Voldemort knows how to get past it!" Percy exclaimed.

"Bloody hell, Hagrid!" Sirius muttered.

"It's not his fault, Sirius. He was drunk." Lily said reasonably.

"I get drunk I -"

"Just shut up and drop it." Ron suggested. "Hagrid let information slip. It's been done and there was nothing we could do about it."

"Fine." Sirius huffed.

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

**"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out.**

"He shouldn't have told anyone!" Draco exclaimed.

**"Forget I said it!"**

"I don't think that'll happen." said Luna dreamily.

**"Hey - where're yeh goin'?"**

"To the trapdoor!" Sirius said hopefully.

"No!" Lily said at once. "If they have any sense they're going to see Dumbledore!"

"Ah, but do they have any sense? That is the question. Harry is Prongs's kid after all. And Ron doesn't seem that bright, no offence." Sirius added to Ron who nodded in acceptance.

"Hey!" James yelled. "Actually, I'd go to the trapdoor myself, so you're right."

"He has a point." Remus nodded. "But Hermione's there. She'll make them do it."

**Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the Entrance Hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

**"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry.**

"Hah!" James yelled triumphantly. "See? My boy does have sence! Way to go, Harry!"

"Get's that from Lily." Sirius muttered.

"I heard that!"

"I wasn't exactly whispering."

**"Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk."**

"Always is." Sirius grinned.

"You've gotten him drunk?" Draco asked amused.

"'Course we have! How else would we have gotten all the information that we had!"

"What information?" Dora asked.

"Never you mind, Nymphadora." Sirius tutted.

"Don't calling me that!" she growled her hair turning firetruck red.

"Sorry!" he squeaked. Dora just smirked, her hair going back to a nice light purple colour.

**"I just hope Dumbledore believes us."**

"He will." said Sirius.

"Dumbledore's a good man. He believes a lot of stuff most people won't." James put in.

"Unless it's completely rubbish and ridiculous, like half the excuses that come out of Sirius' mouth." Remus added making everyone laugh.

**"Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"**

"Bloody hell! You don't even know where it is!" James cried.

"Well, it was only their first year." Regulus said reasonably.

"We knew two weeks into first year!"

"Well, I take it as a good thing that they weren't dragged in there they're second week like you two were!" Minerva snapped.

"Argh! If only we were there to tell him!" James sighed.

"Or if he just had the map!" Sirius added.

"Yeah! I swear, he'd better get it before he finishes with Hogwarts or I'll be pissed off at the two of you!" James said to his fellow Marauders.

"Why? We didn't do anything!" Remus said.

"Exactly! Why couldn't you find him and give it to him? Where the bloody hell is it, anyway?"

"Well you know why Padfoot couldn't do anything." Remus pointed out sadly. "I didn't know where it was and I wasn't even in the country at that time."

"Well, you will get to find out in my third year." Harry smirked.

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction.**

**They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

"You could've asked us." George said.

"Yeah we knew where his office entrance was that year." Fred added, "It changed every year." he explained.

Minerva nodded. "It was a security thing just like the passwords in the castle get changed every month or so."

**"We'll just have to -" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

**"What are you three doing inside?"**

**It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

**"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry thought.**

**"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do.**

"That would be because it is." Minerva said kindly. "Not many students want to see the Headteacher." she added.

**"Why?"**

**Harry swallowed - now what?**

**"It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

**"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly.**

Their jaws dropped.

"He's gone?" James asked.

"He can't be gone!" Dora cried.

"The Stone will definitely be stolen then!" Remus yelled.

"Merlin, then Voldemort will be back!" Regulus gasped.

"And you called us dramatic." Harry snorted. "Most of you know when he returned." he added darkly. "For those who don't I'm not telling you when but I will tell you it's not for a few more years."

**"He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

"I bet that was a fake. Voldemort probably had that sent to lure Dumbledore away!" Sirius said at once.

**"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -"**

**"But this is important."**

**"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"**

"It is, but of course you wouldn't know that." Hermione smirked.

**"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Philosopher's Stone -"**

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that.**

"Of course not." Minerva replied.

**The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn't pick them up.**

The twins, Sirius and James began laughing.

**"How do you know -?" she spluttered.**

**"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn - that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."**

**She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

**"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."**

"Not well enough to beat Voldemort. Especially if he's got a teacher who knows on his side. And now he knows how to get past Fluffy and everything!" Sirius cried.

**"But Professor -"**

**"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly.**

"You don't!" Ron groaned.

"You could have heard them out!" Lily pointed out.

Minerva nodded sadly. "I do regret not listening to them."

**She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."**

**But they didn't.**

**"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up. But what can we -"**

**Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.**

"What happened?" asked Lily worriedly.

"What more could possibly happen now?" Dora asked.

**Snape was standing there.**

"Just Uncle Sev. Thank god." Draco breathed. "He'll only pick on you a bit." Harry nodded.

**"Good afternoon," he said smoothly. They stared at him.**

**"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

**"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.**

**"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can they?"**

"Git." said Sirius without thinking. Lily smacked the back of his head. "Ow!" he winced rubbing where she had hit.

**Harry flushed. They turned to go back outside, but Snape called them back.**

"What? Leave them alone!" James yelled.

**"Be warned, Potter - any more night-time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."**

**He strode off in the direction of the staff room.**

**Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.**

**"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

**"Why me?"**

"Because you can pretend to have a question about an exam." Luna suggested.

**"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong..."**

They all laughed.

**"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

**"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corrridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on."**

**But that part of the plan didn't work.**

**No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again,**

"Oh no." Fred started.

**and this time, she lost her temper.**

"Double oh no." George finished.

**"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed.**

"Um, yes?" Harry asked making everyone chuckle or smile.

**"Enough of this nonsense! If I hear that you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points off Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"**

**Harry and Ron went back to the common room. Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

"Damm!" cursed James.

**"I'm sorry, Harry," she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went."**

**"Well that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.**

**The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.**

**"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."**

"That's mad!" Sirius said excitedly.

"That's my boy! Don't let Minnie get you down!" James cried.

"No! He - the dog - FLUFFY!" Lily yelled.

"Oh. Damn. Wait. He just has to play some music, right? It'll go to sleep then!" James grinned.

"But still!" Lily cried.

**"You're mad!" said Ron.**

**"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

**"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted.**

"So what?" Lily exclaimed in shock.

**"Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back!"**

"Well, that -"

"Just let it go, Lily." James sighed. "He's going in there and we all know it, even if we don't like it."

**"Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see?"**

"He's right," Lily smiled. "My son has some sence!"

"You sure switched opinions quickly." Harry observed.

"Well, you were very convincing." Astoria commented.

**"D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there. It's only dying a bit later than I would have done,"**

"Harry James Potter you stop talking about your death right now!" Lily scolded.

"Sorry." Harry muttered quietly.

**"because I'm never going over to the Dark Side!"**

"Neither are we!" Sirius yelled enthusiastically.

**"I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

"How could we forget?" James said solemnly.

"I swear if I could I'd kill him..." Sirius snarled.

"I'd help." Remus said.

"Sorry that was my job." Harry smirked.

**He glared at them.**

**"You're right, Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.**

**"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

**"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

"All - all three of them?" James said emotionally.

"You really are good mates," Sirius beamed.

"The best." grinned James. Ron and Hermione beamed.

**"All - all three of us?"**

**"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful..."**

"Of course!" Bill cried. "Something's about to happen - go straight to the books!"

"Well, they're bound to help!" Lily reasoned. "And they need all the help they can get!"

**"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

**"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam."**

"How is that even possible?" asked a dumbfounded Sirius. "That's bloody well impossible!"

Lily was also shocked, but for a different reason. "I only got a hundred and two percent first year!" she exclaimed. "How did she beat me?"

The others stared at her.

"Only a hundred and two? Only?" James said incredulously.

"You two were the only two Gryffindors I've seen with scores that high since I started teaching." Minerva added in.

**"They're not throwing me out after that."**

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry anymore, after all.**

**This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try and break.**

"Fat chance of that. I doubt any hardcore enchantments will be in a Firstie's notes!" Dora scoffed.

"There was a few actually." Hermione grinned. Everyone groaned.

"Most of them." Harry nodded, "It was ridiculously easy to get passed the enchantments with the three of us."

"Most adults would struggle with it." Minerva huffed, "Especially all the separate chambers."

"It was easy." Ron shrugged. "We'd expected different attacks and such, you know like curses and large obstacles no 11-year-old should be able to get past."

"You three aren't exactly normal though." Draco smirked. "What seems easy for you would be impossible for most of us."

"He has a point." Harry chuckled.

**Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.**

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

**"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dormitory. He pulled out the Cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy - he didn't feel much like singing.**

**He ran back down to the common room.**

**"We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"**

**"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room.**

"Damn!" cursed Regulus. "Now who the hell is that?"

**Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

"He had." Neville pouted, "He never stayed put for more than a minute, I'm so glad I finally got a tank for him so he can't hop around annoying Gran all day."

**"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.**

**Neville stared at their guilty faces. "You're going out again," he said.**

**"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go back to bed, Neville?"**

"Not very convincing." Neville muttered.

"We know." Ron groaned as the other two nodded.

**Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

**"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

"It's good he's standing up for Gryffindor and all, but if they don't save that Stone Gryffindor may not even exist anymore!" James exclaimed.

"I didnt know that." Neville said shrugging.

**"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."**

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

**"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"**

"No! Let them go, Neville!" Cissy cried. "You'll get hurt! There's three of them and one of you!"

**"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"**

**"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"I didn't mean us." Ron smirked.

"I guessed that but oh well." Neville grinned. "It happened, get used to it."

**"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."**

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

**"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"**

**Harry turned to Hermione.**

"What'll you do Hermione?" Luna asked curiously.

"Just watch." she replied.

**"Do something," he said desperately.**

**Hermione stepped forward.**

**"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.**

"Sorry Neville." Hermione said apologetically.

"It's fine." he replied "I'd rather be stuck like that than have Voldemort running around earlier than he was anyway."

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.**

**Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

"That's got to be the worst part." Harry shuddered.

"You know, I'm surprised you even knew that spell. It can't be first year magic." James said thoughtfully.

"It isn't," Lily said. "But, come on, it's Hermione. She knows loads of spells that first years can only dream about doing!"

"Yeah." James nodded. Hermione blushed.

**"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

**"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.**

**"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.**

**But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them.**

"Yup, that's what it's like the first time you do something big." Sirius nodded.

**At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

**"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear,**

"Oh, that's the best feeling in the world! It never gets old! Do it!" exclaimed James.

"Do it!" repeated Sirius.

**but Harry shook his head.**

**As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.**

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor.**

**Peeves was bobbing halfway up,**

"Uh oh," James sighed. "He can tell if there are invisible people around."

"Really?" Draco asked.

"Yup."

**loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

**"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed towards him, he narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you a ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"**

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.**

**"Should call Filch, I should,"**

"NO!" they all yelled in unison.

**"if something's a-creeping around unseen."**

**Harry had a sudden idea.**

"It's not gonna work on Peeves." sighed Sirius.

**"Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."**

"Oh my Merlin, my son's a genius!" James exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down in joy.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock.**

"Can that even happen?" asked Sirius.

"Maybe." Fred replied.

**He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.**

**"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

"Lucky that Percy told them the Baron's the only one that can control Peeves, eh?" James said.

"Yeah. Lucky I did." Percy said thoughtfully.

**"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

**"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off.**

**"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron.**

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.**

James gulped. "Looks like whoever is trying to steal it, is already in there."

"And at this point it really could be anyone." Sirius said.

**"Well, there you are," said Harry quietly. "Snape's already got past Fluffy."**

**Seeing the open door seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them.**

**Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the other two.**

**"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now."**

**"Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

**"We're coming," said Hermione.**

"'Course they say that. They're good mates." Sirius said.

**Harry pushed the door open.**

**As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

**"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

**"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

**"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."**

**He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop.**

**Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell on its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

**"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the Cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.**

"Urgh." said Dora.

"That's gotta be worse than the troll bogies!" James said in disgust.

"Ewww. I forgot about that!" Lily shuddered.

**"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

"Ah, a true gentleman." Dora said sarcastically.

"Well, he's letting the lady go first." Regulus said reasonably.

"But its first into a scary unknown darkness!" Lily cried.

"True."

"If he was a man he'd go first!" Fred said jumping to his youngest brothers defence, "But he isn't! He's a kid! He's only a firstie!" Ron nodded, looking surprised but grateful for his brothers interference.

**"No, I don't!"**

**"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs.**

**He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

**"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.**

**"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."**

Lily gasped. She closed her eyes and put her head on James' shoulder.

**Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.**

Everybody's mouth fell open.

"I still think your mental for that one mate." Ron frowned as Harry shrugged.

**"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."**

**Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.**

**Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.**

Lily was getting more worried by the minute.

**He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"**

**"Right," said Ron.**

**"See you in a minute, I hope..."**

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, anxious to see what would happen.

**And Harry let go.**

**Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP.**

"Flump?" Lily said oddly, frowning.

"Does that mean you landed on something soft, then?" Andy asked hopefully.

"Yes." Harry replied.

**With a funny sort of thump he landed on something soft.**

**He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.**

**"It's OK!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp which was the open trapdoor. "It's a soft landing, you can jump!"**

**Ron followed straight away. He landed sprawled next to Harry.**

**"What's this stuff?" were his first words.**

**"Dunno, sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall."**

"They wouldn't be so nice to someone who's obviously trying to steal the Stone!" Remus said worriedly.

"I suppose not," James sighed.

"Unless... no. Never mind." sighed Dora.

**"Come on, Hermione!"**

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.**

**"We must be miles under the school," she said.**

**"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

**"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"**

They all began to panic.

**She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles**

Lily shrieked.

"It's Devil's Snare!" she cried, clutching James's arm so tightly he winced. "I knew it!"

**As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.**

"HOW COULD YOU NOT NOTICE?" James yelled, surprising most in the room. The two shrugged, "Sorry." he added, as Harry rubbed his ears as did Remus and Ginny.

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her, now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound round them.**

**"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"**

**"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant curling around his neck.**

**"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

**"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" gasped Harry wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.**

Lily was now shaking in her seat, and James tried his best to comfort her, despite being in major need of comforting himself.

**"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp -"**

**"So light a fire!" Harry choked.**

**"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

**"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

**"Oh, right!" said Hermione,** **and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.**

**In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free.**

**"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis - 'there's no wood', honestly."**

They all laughed a little at that.

**"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway which was the only way on.**

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downwards and Harry was reminded of Gringotts.**

"I'm guessing this is a lot worse than Gringotts." James snorted.

**With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank.**

**If they met a dragon, a fully grown dragon - Norbert had been enough...**

**"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.**

**Harry listened. A soft rushing and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.**

**"Do you think it's a ghost?"**

**"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."**

"How can you even tell the difference?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea."

**"There's a light ahead - I can see something moving."**

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room.**

"B-birds?" Neville stuttered.

**On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy, wooden door.**

**"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

**"Probably," said Harry.**

**"They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... Well, there's nothing for it... I'll run."**

**He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened**

**He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.**

**The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge,**

"Figures." Ginny muttered.

**not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm.**

**"Now what?" said Ron.**

**"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.**

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering -**

"Glittering? Do birds glitter?" Molly frowned.

"No, Molly, they don't." Arthur snorted.

**glittering?**

**"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly, "they're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean..."**

"They have to get the right one," Remus nodded.

"Can't they just summon it?" Sirius asked.

"I don't think they'll make it that easy," Regulus sighed.

"Besides we didn't learn that one until our fourth year." Hermione pointed out.

**He looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes - look! Broomsticks!"**

**"We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

"But there are hundreds of them!" Percy moaned.

**Ron examined the lock on the door.**

**"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."**

"Good thinking. That ought to narrow it down a bit." Lily nodded.

"And the right one should be a bit squashed or damaged if someone else's just grabbed it, right?" Dora asked.

"Yeah. That's probably right." Minerva replied.

**They seized a broomstick each and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.**

"But Harry's a seeker! He's got to be able to get it! Come on!" James urged. The thought of Harry not being a good enough Quidditch player to catch even one key, no matter if it's the right one or not, was devastating.

**Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century.**

"Yeah!" James cried.

"Alright!" Sirius cheered. "You can do it Harry!"

**He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.**

**After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

"Yes! Go and get it, Harry!" Draco cheered.

**"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."**

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell off his broom.**

**"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off they key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come up at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop it going down - and I'll try and catch it."**

"Good plan. It's always best to have a plan." Lily said.

"We beg to differ." the twins grinned grinned. "Going without a plan is always more fun."

**"Right, NOW!"**

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upwards, the key dodged them both and Harry streaked after it; it sped towards the wall, Harry leant forward and with a nasty crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand.**

**Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.**

They all cheered so it sounded like there was a miniature Quidditch match in the living room.

**They landed quickly and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked.**

There were more cheers.

**The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.**

**"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.**

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all.**

**But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.**

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone.**

"That one was my one." Minerva told them all, "Fillius done the keys and Pomona done the Devil's Snare."

**Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.**

They all shuddered.

**"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."**

**Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

**"How?" said Hermione nervously.**

**"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."**

"COOL!" James and Sirius said together.

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life.**

**The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

**"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?"**

**The black knight nodded.**

**Ron turned to the other two.**

**"This wants thinking about..." he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three black pieces..."**

Lily looked worried. "But... but... it's not like real wizard's chess, is it?" she asked in a tiny voice.

No one answered.

**Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think.**

**Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"**

**"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."**

**"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."**

**"What about you?"**

**"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.**

"Good choice." said Remus.

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board leaving three empty squares which Harry, Ron and Hermione took.**

**"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."**

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares.**

"And so the game begins." Regulus announced.

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

**"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right."**

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken.**

"Uh oh." Lily gulped.

**The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.**

Lily clutched James' arm so tightly he thought that it might fall off. He held her close and they sat on the edge of their seats. Molly and Arthur mirroring them, both couples afraid for their sons.

**"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."**

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy.**

"Really brings out the demented side of you, doesn't it?" Sirius asked Minerva, shuddering.

"Oh I only done the Black pieces it was Albus who done the white." she said, "For some reason he seemed to think I'd make them too vicious." she frowned.

"Cant imagine why." Ron muttered, "They were vicious enough as it was."

**Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall.**

**Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger.**

Molly and Lily's eye's widened to an impossible sizes.

**He himself darted around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

**"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think - let me think..."**

**The white queen turned her blank face towards him.**

**"Yes..." said Ron softly, "it's the only way... I've got to be taken."**

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"What?" Charlie said in shock.

"No way!" Bill cried.

"That can't happen!" James yelled.

"You could've died!" Ginny shrieked.

"He can't do that!" Dora gasped.

**"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.**

"Exactly! NO!" the twins shouted.

**"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices!"**

"That's too big a sacrifice!" Molly shrieked.

**"I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"**

**"But -"**

**"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

**"Ron -"**

**"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"**

**There was nothing else for it.**

"NO!" Arthur shouted.

"Just a freindly reminder I'm right here so obviously I was fine. Didnt even get a concussion or anything, just a few scrapes and bruises." Ron chuckled. Most people had forgotten he was there and whipped around to stare at him.

**"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."**

**He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard around the head with her stone.**

They all flinched.

"Ouch." Dora shuddered.

"More than just ouch, actually. He'll have to go to the Hospital Wing for sure!" Remus said gravely.

"But Madam Pomfrey had me fixed in a few minutes." Ron said smugly. "As I said before, nothing worse than scrapes and bruises unless you count being knocked out."

**Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.**

"That's because I had." Ron said.

**Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.**

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won.**

"You know, I'm not as happy as I thought I would be when they won." Dora said.

"Me neither." Draco agreed.

**The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

**"What if he's -?"**

**"He'll be alright," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"**

**"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare - Flitwick must've put charms on the keys - McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive - that leave's Quirrell's spell, and Snape's..."**

They gulped.

"I'll bet Snape's will be the hardest yet!" James sighed.

**They had reached another door.**

**"All right?" Harry whispered.**

**"Go on."**

**Harry pushed it open.**

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses.**

"Merlin, not another troll, is it?" James said worriedly.

**Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.**

"Oh, thank Merlin you didn't have to deal with that one!" Dora breathed.

**"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered, as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."**

**He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

**"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"**

**They stepped over the threshold and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple.**

"What is that?" asked James curiously, but he didn't get an answer.

**At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They were trapped.**

**"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:**

**Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,**

**Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,**

**One among us seven will let you move ahead,**

**Another will transport the drinker back instead,**

**Two of our number hold only nettled wine,**

**Three of us are killers,**

**waiting hidden in line.**

**Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,**

**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:**

**First, however slyly the poison tried to hide**

**You will always find some on nettles wine's left side;**

"So poison will be beside the wine, right?" James asked, thoroughly confused.

"Yes! Now shhh!" Lily said.

**Second, different are those who stand at either end,**

**But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;**

**Third, as you see clearly, are all different size,**

**Neither dwarf or giant holds death in their insides;**

**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right**

**Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.**

"Well, that was a load of crap!" Sirius said when it was over. "I didn't understand a thing. Did you?"

"Nope," James answered honestly.

Lily and Remus were the only two thinking deeply about it.

"Got it." Lily said.

"Yeah, same here." Remus nodded. "It's the smallest one to go forward."

"You actually understood that?" Astoria asked

"Yes." they replied together smirking.

"It's a logic puzzle, I used to sit for hours everyday doing them." Remus explained, "Especially after the full moon, I was at my weakest then and couldn't move so I had to do something to keep myself entertained."

"That's why you always kept a book or two with you in the Hospital Wing. For when we weren't there." James grinned.

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.**

**"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."**

**"But so will we, won't we?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire and one will get us back through the purple."**

**"But how do we know which to drink?"**

**"Give me a minute."**

**Hermione read the paper several times. then she walked up and down the line of bottles muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

"Great, you worked it out!" exclaimed Remus.

**"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - towards the Stone."**

**Harry looked at the tiny bottle.**

**"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."**

**They looked at each other.**

**"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"**

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

**"You drink that," said Harry. "No listen - get back and get Ron - grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him really."**

**"But, Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

This seemed to be far too much for both Lily and James to handle.

"NO!" yelled James. "You can't go!"

"Someone stop him!"

"Have they gone mad?" Dora whispered worriedly to Remus as James began to hyperventilate.

"Don't worry. Prongs tends to go a bit over the top when he's really, really stressed out. He'll get back to normal in a bit. Just ignore him." he answered quietly.

**"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."**

**Hermione's lip trembled and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.**

"Awww." said Lily. "That's really sweet."

**"Hermione!"**

**"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."**

**"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.**

**"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"**

Lily began sobbing freely on James' shoulder. James put on a brave face and smiled. "That's really nice of you."

Hermione smiled. "I couldn't let him go on alone without saying something."

"And come to think of it I really needed to hear it." Harry beamed.

**"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"**

**"Positive," said Hermione. She took a drink from the round bottle at the end and shuddered.**

**"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.**

**"No - but it's like ice."**

**"Quick, go, before it wears off."**

**"Good luck - take care -"**

**"GO!"**

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.**

"Good luck, Harry." everyone said together.

**"Here I come," he said and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.**

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire - then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.**

**There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Okay give me a second." Harry said getting up to change the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 - First Year (Part 7.5)

6th, August, 1998. 9.30pm.

"Okay this is the next one and were almost at the end there's only one more memory after this one." Harry explained sitting down next to Ginny again.

**It was Quirrell.**

"Hah! I knew it!" Remus yelled in delight. Teddy who had been in his playpen looked over.

"Dada wolf?" he asked.

Harry paused the memory and Remus went over and lifted him out of the playpen.

"Yes Teddy?" he asked his son.

Teddy looked at the paused picture above the pensive. "Who dat?" he asked pointing at Quirrell.

"That's a very bad man Teddy." Harry said. "He's gone now."

Teddy looked at the image again frowning then he turned back to Remus and put his head on his father's shoulder. "Bad." he said sleepily before promptly falling asleep.

"He shouldn't wake up until the memories are finished." Andromeda said smiling as she watched her son-in-law put her grandson carefully back into his playpen.

"Let's continue." Harry said, feeling rather tense knowing what was to come and knowing no one would like it.

_I'm here for you Harry, _Ginny sent silently cuddling into his side, _I can feel your tense, I know your worried about everyone's reactions but just try to relax._

_Thanks Gin, _he sent back.

**"You!" gasped Harry.**

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

**"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."**

**"But I thought - Snape -"**

**"Severus?" Quirrell laughed and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"**

"He faked a stutter?" Sirius said, appalled. "Man, this guy is low!"

**Harry couldn't take this in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.**

**"But Snape tried to kill me!"**

"No! He did! Can't you see it?" Sirius asked.

"Apparently not." Harry shrugged. "We had seen a lot of evidence against Snape and almost none against Quirrell, to us it seemed Snape was the logical choice."

"We got it wrong." Hermione shrugged. "It's happened once or twice."

**"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at the Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you."**

"Thank Merlin for that!" James grinned.

"Otherwise Harry'd be dead!"

"Sirius!" Lily cried. "Don't even say such things!"

"It's true though Mum." Harry soothed.

**"Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom."**

"Why that filthy little -" James trailed off furiously.

**"I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."**

**"Snape was trying to save me?"**

**"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching."**

"That's true." Cissy sighed, "Even he isn't dumb enough to try and pull that off with Dumbledore watching."

**"All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."**

"Like hell you are!" James growled furiously as Lily clung to his arm.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.**

"Hey! That's cheating!" Sirius yelled.

"No, Siri," sighed Regulus, "its magic!"

"Oh, yeah. Right. It's still not very fair." he huffed.

"I learned earlier than most that life isn't fair. If it was I wouldn't have been stuck with a stupid hyphenated name." Harry muttered, "I've only had it said to me once." he added, "But my point still stands."

**"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

"And he let the troll in, then." James said.

"Yes, we already figured that out." Astoria rolled her eyes.

**"You let the troll in?"**

**"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running about looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death,"**

"As if a troll could kill a Potter!" James said.

**"that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."**

"Not going to happen!" Ron, Hermione and Ginny said grinning.

"Let the inner Potter in you shine and scream as loud as you can!" Sirius said.

"Sing an annoying song!" Fred yelled.

"Start saying random words!" George said.

"Keep repeating one word over and over!" said James.

"Merlin, you lot sure know how to be annoying!" Lily laughed.

"Well, of course we do!" James said matter-of-factly.

"If we didn't, who would?" asked Sirius.

"What would the world have come to if the Marauders can't be annoying!" James said dramatically.

"I'm sure that would be tragic!" Minerva said sarcastically. "Imagine not having the Marauders be annoying and actually getting some peace."

"And imagine what would happen if we weren't annoying." the twins grinned.

"It would be awful wouldn't it." Remus said cheekily.

Everyone laughed, removing some of the tension.

**It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.**

"How'd that get there?" asked Astoria.

"Dumbledore did said he was moving it." said Ginny thoughtfully. "This must be where he put it."

**"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this..."**

"I'll bet it's made so only Dumbledore can get it or something." Sirius said.

"Nope." Harry said popping the 'p'.

**"but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."**

"No you won't!" James and Lily yelled.

"Harry'll stop you!" Dora and Remus yelled.

**All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him concentrating on the Mirror.**

"Yeah. Distract him." George grinned.

**"I saw you and Snape in the Forest -" he blurted out.**

"Oh, come up with something better, son!" James said.

"He's under a lot of pressure, James!" Lily scolded him. "Leave him be."

**"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the Mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."**

**Quirrell came back out from behind the Mirror and stared hungrily into it.**

**"I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"**

**Harry struggled against the ropes binding him,**

"They won't give." Bill sighed.

"Unless you're me, and you have a special talent for wriggling out." Sirius grinned. "I learned how to escape them." he added.

"Yeah after I tied you up about 100 times for being annoying." Remus frowned.

**but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the Mirror.**

**"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

"He does." James said. "Because of me."

**"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."**

**"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing - I thought Snape was threatening you..."**

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

"Hah! Feel the fear!" James cried.

**"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions - he is a great wizard"**

"No he's not!" they all yelled.

**"and I am weak -"**

"Well, that's for sure." snorted Lily.

"Definitely." James grinned.

**"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.**

**"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then,"**

"Still are, you slimy git." James growled.

**"full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil,"**

"Oh, I have to hear this." Sirius scoffed.

**"there is only power, and those too weak to seek it..."**

"That's wrong." Luna frowned.

"There is too good and evil!" Astoria exclaimed.

"And Voldemort is just pure evil!" Ginny yelled.

**"Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times."**

"Not particularly surprising." snorted Draco.

**"He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly.**

"Let's hope it really hurt that git." James muttered.

**"He does not forgive mistakes easily."**

"He doesn't." shuddered Regulus.

"So why does he have followers? I just don't get it!" Dora cried.

"Well, they all want power." Draco explained. "And Voldemort... he can give that to them, I guess."

"Well, that doesn't make any sense at all!" Andy frowned.

"Figured that out soon enough." Draco shuddered, "He was often vicious to his followers, definatley not the forgiving type unless he could use your mistake to his advantage."

**"When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts,"**

"So that was him too." nodded James.

"I'm surprised he managed to get in and out without getting caught!" Bill exclaimed.

"Yeah 'zat one was guarded heavily according to the big book of protections at Gringotts." Fluer added frowning.

"Anything is possible if you put your mind to it." Sirius put in. "It was meant to be impossible to escape Azkaban and I did that."

"And think about all the times we've escaped from tight spots." Ron added, "Sure it was hard but we managed to get out alive."

**"he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..."**

They shuddered.

**Quirrell's voice tailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley - how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day,** **shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.**

"Can't believe he touched that piece of vermin!" James snarled.

**Quirrell cursed under his breath.**

**"I don't understand... is the Stone inside the Mirror? Should I break it?"**

"That won't do any good." Remus snorted.

"That way no one would ever get it!" James exclaimed.

"So break it!" Sirius yelled. "Then Voldemort won't be able to get it!"

"But then what would happen to Nicholas Flamel?" asked Dora.

"Oh yeah. He needs the stone."

"I'm sure there's got to be another way to get it." Lily said reasonably.

**Harry's mind was racing.**

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does.**

"Really?" asked an impressed Remus. "Good for you."

"Why?" asked Dora.

"Because he wants it, but not to use it. To stop Quirrell from getting it. That's something." Remus said.

James and Lily beamed with pride as Harry blushed.

**So if I look in the Mirror, I should see myself finding it - which means I'll see where it's hidden!**

"I can see logic in that." nodded Hermione.

"My boy's a genius!" James yelled in delight.

"Get's that from Lily." coughed Sirius.

"What did you say there?" James asked him.

"Nothing."

James scowled.

**But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?**

"Hmmm. That's a good question." Lily commented.

**He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes round his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over.**

"Damn it." breathed Lily. "Now what?"

**Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.**

**"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"**

**And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.**

They all shuddered.

**"Use the boy... use the boy..."**

"NO!" Lily cried, getting up with James.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" James snarled furiously.

**Quirrell rounded on Harry. "Yes - Potter - come here."**

**He clapped his hands once and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.**

**"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see."**

**Harry walked towards him.**

**I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.**

"Yes. Do that." Fred said.

**Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.**

**He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the Mirror and opened them again.**

**He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him.**

**It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone.**

"He's got the Stone!" cried Sirius.

"Don't be daft!" James almost laughed. "He can't have gotten the Stone by just seeing it in the Mirror. Otherwise Quirrell would've had it ages ago!"

**It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket - and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket.**

They all gasped collectively.

"He's got the Stone!" Sirius yelled again. "I told you!"

"Wow!" James breathed.

"That is a really weird, weird Mirror." Draco said slowly.

"Yup. That's for sure." nodded Regulus.

"But... how?" asked Molly.

"Maybe you need to want the Stone, but not use it for your own good or something?" Bill guessed. "It seem's like something Dumbledore would do."

"That's ridiculous." snorted Sirius.

"Makes no sense at all!" James scoffed.

"He's closer than you'd think." Harry whispered to his two best friends and Ginny.

**Somehow - incredibly - he'd got the Stone.**

"Yes! Yes! Now just run away!" Dora cried.

"He can't! There's still fire around them." Astoria pointed out.

**"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"**

**Harry screwed up his courage.**

**"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I - I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor."**

"Oh, come on!" James cried. "You can do so much better than that! You've got Marauder blood, boy!"

"I was under a lot of pressure!" Harry protested. "It's difficult when you've never been in that kind of situation before."

**Quirrell cursed again.**

**"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?**

"YES!" they all yelled.

"RUN! RUN! RUN!" James cried.

"RUN LIKE THE WIND!" the twins yelled.

"GO! GET OUT OF THERE!" yelled Sirius.

They were all bouncing in their seats.

**But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.**

**"He lies... He lies..."**

"Damn!" yelled Dora.

"Voldemort must know Legilimency!" moaned James.

**"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell the truth! What did you just see?"**

"He's not gonna tell you!" Ron crowed.

**The high voice spoke again.**

**"Let me speak to him... face to face..."**

"NO!" yelled Lily.

**"Master, you are not strong enough!"**

"Yes! Make excuses! Don't let him!" Lily cried.

**"I have strength enough... for this..."**

**Harry felt as if the Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle.**

"No! Run Harry, run!" sobbed Lily. "Get out of there!"

"Run!" James said worriedly.

**Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban.**

"Don't just stand there!" Fred yelled.

"You haven't been Petrified!" Draco yelled. "Get out of there!"

"Move, Harry!" Dora yelled.

Harry just watched them all amusedly.

**What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.**

Lily hid her face in James' shoulder.

**Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face,**

"Oh, God!" Hermione moaned. "You never told us how gross it was."

Harry shrugged, "I thought I'd spare you the details."

**the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.**

"So you faced Voldemort at 11 and lived?" Regulus asked in shock.

Harry nodded.

**"Harry Potter..." it whispered.**

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!" Lily roared furiously, no longer crying.

**Harry tried to take a step backwards but his legs wouldn't move.**

**"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the Forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own..."**

They all listened and stared, transfixed, as the memory continued.

"You'll never get it!" James yelled.

**"Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"**

**So he knew.**

"Yes." Ron said.

"So you should run." Ginny yelled, her protective instincts kicking in.

**The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs.**

"Good. Now run!" Remus said.

**He stumbled backwards.**

**"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me..."**

"I would NEVER!" roared Harry.

**"or you'll meet the same end as you parents... they died begging me for mercy..."**

"WHY THAT LYING LITTLE ASS! LIKE HELL WE BEGGED FOR MERCY FROM HIM!" Lily bellowed.

**"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.**

Everyone's eyes widened in fear.

"Wh-what did he j-just -" began Sirius, but James cut across him.

"He stood up to him!" James said. "Atta boy, Harry!"

**Quirrell was walking backwards at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.**

"So punch him and wipe off that smile!" Sirius cried.

**"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, you're parents were brave... I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight..."**

"You bet I did!" James nodded fiercely.

**"but your mother needn't have died..."**

"THEN WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU KILL HER!" Remus yelled.

**"she was trying to protect you..."**

"Well of course I was!" Lily sobbed.

**"Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

"My death would never have been in vain as long as Harry lived." Lily said firmly.

**"NEVER!"**

**Harry sprang towards the flame door, but Voldemort screamed, "SEIZE HIM!" and, next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hands close on his wrist.**

"NO!" Lily yelled hysterically.

**At once, a needle-sharp pain seared scross Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him.**

"You had better let go!" James spat. "If you know what's good for you, you won't touch him again!"

"Wait - why'd he let go?" frowned Draco.

**The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.**

"Now that is freaky!" Sirius shuddered.

"How did that happen?" frowned Regulus.

"Who cares? As long as it got him off Harry!" Fred cheered.

"Probably wandless magic." Remus said.

"Cool! Mini-Prongs can do wandless magic!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Er - Paddy... everyone can do wandless magic. What do you think you do as a child?" said James. "And I could learn it if I wanted to." he smirked, "Anyone can really it's just no-one really thinks to do it."

"It wasnt wandless magic." Harry smirked, "You'll know within the next 20 minutes." he promised.

**"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet,**

"I'm gonna murder him! I'm gonna murder him!" James said matter-of-factly. "I'll just have to murder him!"

**landing on top of him, both hands round Harry's neck -**

"Get off my son!" Lily yelled.

**Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

"Excellent!" Fred cried.

"Now get off!" cried George.

**"Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!"**

"Harry is doing some serious damage!" Charlie grinned.

**And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burnt, raw, red and shiny.**

"That's really weird." said Percy.

"How d'you suppose Harry's doing that?" asked Bill.

"I honestly have no clue." Remus said slowly.

"Amazing! This has to be the first time that Moony - Mr. Know-It-All - doesn't know something!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Well I'm not telling but it is explained." Harry said, still feeling a little tense.

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse,**

They all gasped.

"The Avada Kedavra!" whispered a horrified Lily.

"NO!" roared James.

**but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face - "AAARGH!"**

"Yes! Good thinking, Harry!" Arthur commented putting an arm around his crying wife.

**Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain - his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him doing a curse.**

"Yes! Touch him everywhere you can see skin!" Sirius yelled. "Keep him in pain!"

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm and hung on as tight as he could.**

**Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off - the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see - he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!"**

"Must be myself and Albus." Minerva said.

"Thank god." Lily breathed.

**He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness,**

"WHAT?" yelled Lily. "No!"

"No!" moaned James. "Get up! Get UP!"

"Don't go there! No!" Molly shrieked.

**down... down... down...**

"You were dying!?" Hermione demanded before rounding on Minerva, "You told us he was okay, that he had just been knocked unconscious!"

"We didn't want to worry you." Minerva looked apologetic. "I'm sorry but it was Albus's idea he didn't think it was wise to tell you."

"We should have been told." Ron frowned.

"Well I didn't know I thought you had been told or I would have told you myself as soon as I found out." Harry told them.

"When did you find out?" Hermione asked.

"When I woke up." he shrugged.

**Something gold was glinting just above him.**

**The Snitch!**

"The Snitch?" they all asked curiously.

"Imagination world." Harry chuckled, "It was Dumbledore's glasses."

"Oh." they all laughed a little.

**He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.**

"What's wrong?" Lily asked worriedly.

**He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.**

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.**

"YES!" they all cheered.

"He's safe!" sobbed Lily.

"Lily, it's okay now. He's safe." James said, putting his arm around her.

"I know. Thank Merlin." she said softly, resting her head on his shoulder again.

"That's the end of the danger all that's left is a few explanations and then us getting the train home." Harry put in making everyone relax.

**"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.**

"That's what he says?" laughed Dora. "Harry's been through so much, and all he says is "Good afternoon? What's with that?"

"Well, Dumbledore will always be Dumbledore." grinned Harry.

**Harry stared at him. Then he remembered.**

**"Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! he's got the Stone! Sir, quick -"**

**"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore.**

"Behind the time?" Lily said worriedly. "How long were you unconscious?"

"A few days."

**"Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

"YES!" they all cheered.

**"Then who does? Sir, I -"**

**"Harry, please relax, or Madame Pomfrey will have me thrown out."**

"Hmm. I don't think she's ever thrown out Dumbledore." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Would be interesting to see, though." Dora said.

**Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realised he must be in the hospital wing.**

"Duh!" snorted Sirius. "Where else would he be?"

"Well, he's in shock now. It'll take him some time to get back to normal." James said, defending his son.

**He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet-shop.**

"Nice!" James grinned.

**"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming.**

"We got the rest of the quidditch team and most of the Gryffindor's, Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's together and we all got you something." Fred explained.

"The Slytherins were the only ones who didn't." George said.

"We never got the whole story plus we were never nice to Gryffindor's, ever." Draco said.

**"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret,"**

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What? How is that possible?"

**"so, naturally, the whole school knows."**

"That's more like it!" he grinned as everyone else laughed.

**"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a lavatory seat."**

They all burst out laughing again.

"You didn't?" Molly rounded on the twins.

"We did!" they grinned.

"Thank you for the idea Mum." Fred said.

**"No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madame Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygenic, and confiscated it."**

"Awwww." Sirius moaned.

"Darn shame, that," sighed Fred.

"That would've been cool to keep!" George agreed.

**"How long have I been here?"**

**"Three days. Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."**

"Understatement." Hermione coughed as Ron nodded in agreement.

**"But sir, the Stone -"**

**"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."**

"You bet he was!" James said with a great deal of pride. "He's the best! He was fighting a full grown adult! And Voldemort. And he lived! And he saved the Stone!"

"That's our son," beamed Lily.

Harry smiled at that, even though he was blushing a little.

**"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"**

**"We must have crossed in mid-air. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you -"**

**"It was you."**

**"I feared I might be too late."**

"Nope. Right on time," Sirius grinned.

"But a bit earlier wouldn't have hurt!" James muttered.

**"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -"**

**"Not the Stone, boy, you - the effort involved nearly killed you."**

Lily gasped.

"What? It - He - nearly - no - dead - killed - effort - what?" she stuttered.

"You're making no sense, Lily." James laughed.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

**"For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

**"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend Nicolas Flamel -"**

**"Oh you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted "You did do the thing properly didn't you?"**

"Do it properly?" said Percy. "Do what properly?"

"Does that mean he meant for Harry to find out?" asked James, confused.

"No!" gasped Lily. "He's only a first year!"

"I assume he meant my reasearch, that I knew what I was tying to save and it's history." Harry smiled.

**"Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat and agreed it's all for the best."**

**"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

**"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

"Really big sacrifice." Minerva whispered sadly.

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.**

**"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day."**

"A freaking six-hundred-year-long day!" exclaimed Sirius.

**"After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure."**

"That's an interesting way to put it." said James, smiling.

**"You know, the Stone was really not a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worse for them."**

"Well, if I think about it, I'm good as long as I'm with Lily!" James grinned, hugging her with one arm. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

**Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.**

**"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... Sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol -... I mean, You-Know-Who-"**

"Oh, say the name, Harry!" James urged. "Call him Voldemort."

**"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

**"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

They all sighed.

"Nope unfortunatly he dose return." Harry said sadly.

**"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."**

Lily smiled. "I like that train of thought."

**Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt.**

"It was just a side effect of being knocked out for 3 days." Harry said at the concerned looks he was getting.

**Then he said, "Sir, there are some things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."**

"This ought to be good." said Draco.

"Assuming he answers the questions." Minerva added.

**"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."**

"Of course not!" Fluer said.

**"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"**

"He's not going to tell you." James sighed.

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

**"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you."**

"Damn," cursed Sirius. "He was right."

"Told you so." James grinned.

**"Not today. Not now."**

"So he'll tell him later?" James said hopefully. He didnt get an awnser.

**"You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."**

"He told me a little late, he should have told me when Voldemort returned." Harry scowled. "If he had told me..."

"I probably wouldn't have died when I did." Sirius finished frowning. "I did tell him that he'd be better off telling you."

"What are you talking about?" Dora asked.

"The Prophesy about me and Voldemort." Harry told her.

"Oh." she said.

"Wait is that the one we had to guard when you were in 5th year?" Arthur asked.

Harry nodded. "I'll tell you what it says when we get to the start of my 5th year."

**And Harry knew it was no good to argue.**

**"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"**

"Ah, another good question," grinned James. "You know what to ask!"

**"Your mother died to save you."**

Everyone immediately frowned. "What's that got to do with -"

"Just shush," Lily whispered to James, listening to Dumbledore.

**"If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realise that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark"**

Lily was amazed. "Re-really? What mark?"

**"Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever."**

"Wow. That's - that's -" Lily was, for perhaps the first time ever, at a loss for words.

**"It is in your very skin."**

Lily and James smiled at each other.

**"Quirrell, full of hatred, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason."**

"So it's because of... because of me?" Lily said quietly. "I gave him a sort of protection?"

"You saved me Mum." Harry smiled sadly. "I got blood protection from you thats why I had to go to live with Aunt Petunia no one could cause me harm there as long as she was there. Exept the Dursley's themselves." he added hesitantly.

**"It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."**

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the window-sill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet.**

"He knows when to give someone a private second," grinned James.

**When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the Invisibility Cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"**

**"Ah - your father happened to leave it in my possession and I thought you might like it."**

**Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."**

The others laughed.

James looked insulted. "I do not only use it for that! We get up to way more stuff than that! And it's not just me!"

"Well, he didn't know that, did he?" Sirius grinned.

"Oh yeah, we've only been caught going to that area, now that I think about it, because it's always harder to get back with all the food. Yeah, that'll explain it!" grinned James.

**"And there's something else ..."**

**"Fire away."**

**"Quirrell said Snape -"**

**"Professor Snape, Harry."**

**"Yes, him -"**

They all laughed.

**"Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"**

**"Well, they did rather detest each other."**

"Understatement." James said.

**"Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy..."**

"Hey, that's different! Potters have hated Malfoys for generations! My dad hated Abraxas, or whatever his name was, just as much as I hate Lucius!" James said.

"Well I for one am kind of glad that we changed that." Draco said.

"It is better to have friends than enemies." Luna commented, "My daddy always said 'Why be enemies when you can be friends.' I think he's right." she added.

"You know that's pretty true but sometimes it's harder to be friends when two people are activley hating each other." Neville frowned.

"It takes effort on both sides." Harry nodded, "At first we decided to be civil to each other and once we'd gotten to know more about each other we became friends." he smiled at Draco who nodded and smiled back.

**"And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

**"What?"**

**"He saved his life."**

**"What?"**

**"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father quits."**

"Must have been that time I stopped him going into the Whomping Willow." James said.

"It was his own fault." Sirius said firmly. "I was drunk and he was provoking me."

"You still shouldn't have done it Paddy." Remus said softly. Sirius just nodded.

**"Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..."**

They all laughed at that.

**Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.**

"Definitely got James' brains, then." Lily confirmed.

**"And, sir, there's one more thing..."**

**"Just the one?"**

**"How did I get the Stone out of the Mirror?"**

**"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something."**

"Really, really modest." Minerva shook her head fondly.

**"You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it,"**

"HAH! I was right! I knew it!" exclaimed Bill.

**"otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes..."**

They all chuckled a bit.

**"Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one,"**

"Ugh. I've had that one before." Sirius shuddered.

"Me too." Fred grimaced.

"I've had a booger flavoured one before." George put in.

**"and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"**

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.**

James began cracking up.

"What?" asked Frank.

"That - that's Earwax flavor!" he laughed.

**Then he choked and said, "Alas! Earwax!"**

They all laughed.

"I told you! I've had that at least ten times!" James laughed

"Why would you eat it again and again?" asked Dora.

"Dares." James said simply.

**Madame Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.**

**"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.**

**"Absolutely not."**

**"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."**

**"Well, of course, that was the Headmaster, quite different."**

"Oooh, who wants to see Harry?" asked Sirius.

"We do." Hermione said pointing at Ron and herself.

**"You need rest."**

**"I am resting, look, lying down and everything."**

They laughed some more.

**"Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey ..."**

**"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."**

"She always caves if you ask nice enough." James grinned.

**And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

**"Harry!"**

**Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.**

"You did still look quite sore." Hermione said.

"Poor Harry." Lily sighed.

**"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to - Dumbledore was so worried -"**

**"The whole school's talking about it,"**

"Well, of course they are!" exclaimed Frank.

"This is big news!" Sirius cried.

"Huge news!" James said.

"Giant news!"

"Humungous!"

"Enormous!"

"We get it!" Lily said irritably. "Back to the memory."

**said Ron. "What really happened?"**

"What didn't happen?" Minerva sighed.

**It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumours.**

They all grinned.

"It's almost always like that with our stories!" Sirius exclaimed.

"That's because we did strange things." grinned James.

**Harry told them everything; Quirrell; the Mirror; the Stone and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places and, when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

**"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"**

"That's what Harry said!" laughed James.

**"That's what I said,"**

James grinned.

**"but Dumbledore thinks that - what was it? - 'to the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure'."**

**"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron,**

"It's true." Minerva said chuckling, "But he was a brilliant man." Everyone nodded.

**looking quite impressed at how mad his hero was.**

**"So what happened to you two?" said Harry.**

**"Well I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round - that took a while - and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the Entrance Hall. He already knew - he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

"So he did expect Harry to go!" James exclaimed.

"Obviously." Lily frowned.

**"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's Cloak and everything?"**

"Yeah! For sure!" Fred nodded.

"Probably." Harry said.

**"Well," Hermione exploded,** **"if he did - I mean to say - that's terrible - you could have been killed."**

**"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know."**

"Yeah, he does." Sirius nodded wisely.

**"I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the Mirror worked.** **It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."**

"Even Dumbledore thinks Harry can face Voldemort!" James said proudly. Lily, on the other hand, looked down right pissed.

"How could he - he's only a First year - dangerous - He's the headmaster - He's a first year! - Voldemort - Three first years! - what right? - stupid ideas - dangerous!" Lily rambled angrily.

James smiled at her. "Lily, I think it's safe to say that Dumbledore knows more than you," he grinned. Lily smiled sheepishly. James continued, "If he thinks Harry was capable of it, who are we to question him? And besides, Harry did it! He's still alive, and Voldemort isn't back yet!"

Lily smiled and nodded.

**"Yeah, Dumbledore's barking, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow."**

"That's the best feast!" Ron exclaimed.

"Except for the Start of Term Feast." Sirius added.

"And Christmas, if you stay there." James said.

**"of course - you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you - but the food'll be good."**

"Always is." Sirius breathed.

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.**

**"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!" she said firmly.**

**After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.**

"That's good." said Lily.

**"I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many sweet-boxes. "I can, can't I?**

"He has to go!" exclaimed James immediately. "He can't not go to his first End of Year Feast!"

**"Professor Dumbledore says you are allowed to go," she said sniffily,**

"Thank Merlin." he breathed.

"Hah, that means she doesn't agree." Sirius laughed.

"Why? What does she think'll happen at the feast?" scoffed Astoria. "Someone will spill Pumpkin juice on him at the most!"

**as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realise how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."**

**"Oh good," said Harry. "Who is it?"**

**Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him and burst into tears.**

"He's so sweet," Lily smiled.

"Probably because he must blame himself a bit." James said.

**"It's - all - my - ruddy - fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know an' I told him!"**

"Aw, come on, Hagrid!" Sirius said. "It's not your fault! He got you drunk and offered you a dragon!"

**"Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again!"**

The boys snorted.

"Like that's gonna happen." said Sirius disbelievingly.

**"I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

"That's a bit too harsh, Hagrid!" James complained.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard.**

**"Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

"Exactly!" James grinned.

**"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

**"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.**

"Heh, that worked with the DA too." Hermione smirked, "Remember?" she asked Harry and Ron.

"Oh yeah... Last time we saw them most of them were still terrified of the name." Harry explained, "So all three of us started yelling 'Voldemort' until every single one of them joined in."

"Some of them joined from the start too." Ron nodded, "Like Neville, Luna and Ginny."

"We'd been able to say it before." Neville shrugged.

"What's -"

"Later Mum. It's too early for us to explain it just yet." Harry cut her off.

**"I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads ..."**

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

"That's nice of Hagrid." said Lily.

**"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously**

They all chuckled.

**and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.**

**"'Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead -"**

"He'd never! Not in a million years!" Sirius said.

**"anyway, got yeh this..."**

**It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book.**

"A book?" James asked incredulously. "Does he honestly think Harry wants to read right now?"

"Some people like to read!" Lily said irritably.

"It's not a normal book." Harry smiled.

**Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.**

Lily and James beamed, yet somehow... they looked sad. Sad, yet happy.

"That's - that's wonderful." choked James, fighting back tears.

"So thoughtful!" Lily sniffed.

**"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends,"**

"Yup he did." Remus said, "I was abroad at that time and it's actually a miracle his owl found me."

"How?" Minerva asked.

"I was well hidden." he shrugged, "I was in Ireland at the time, doing some odd jobs for an old wizard who had a 13 year old grandson who was also a werewolf so I gave the grandson lessons and helped with yard work and such." he explained, "I would've rushed to Hogwarts if I thought it'd do any good for Harry. Remembering he wouldnt know me, kept me where I was." he admitted.

"Too painful?" Sirius guessed, Remus nodded, "I was the same way after Azkaban, it's part of the reason I didnt approach sooner than I did, even as Padfoot."

"It probably wouldnt had phased me." Harry chuckled, "Not much dose. Sure I would've been shocked, or confused, but I would've accepted it the way it was."

"I know you were wary the first time you met me." Remus smirked, "You hid it well but I saw your hesitance."

"It wasnt you per say, more like the past DADA teachers we'd had." Harry shuddered, "I didnt get along with any exept you Remus, and you were the first that didnt try to harm or humiliate me in some way." he shrugged.

"Oh good." Remus frowned, "Who'd you have the year before me?"

"A useless git." Fred supplied, "More intrested in his own looks than anything else."

"And a right coward to boot." George added. "I'd bet anything he was a fake."

"Whatever gave you that idea." Ron asked sarcastically. "We're not going to tell you who but their right, he was nothing more than a useless git."

"And we're off track again." Harry mused, they all turned back to the penseive.

**"askin' fer photos... Knew yeh didn' have any... D'yeh like it?"**

**Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.**

"We should thank him for that." James smiled.

"Yes, we should." Lily smiled.

**Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing-about, insisting on giving him one last check-up,**

"Typical Madam Pomfrey Though she didn't do that with us that much. Just the beginning of First year, really." James commented.

"She always done it with me." Remus pouted.

"You didnt complain as much, or drive her crazy." Minerva chuckled, "Those two on the other hand..."

"We get it." Sirius smirked, "We annoyed her hugely so she couldnt wait to get rid of us."

**so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row.**

James groaned. "Gryffindor has to win at least once in all of Harry's years at Hogwarts!"

"We will, don't worry." grinned Ron.

**A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.**

**When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush and then everybody started talking loudly at once.**

"That has got to be embarrassing," Andromeda shuddered. "I'd hate to have to go through that!"

"It got to the point that I was expecting it though it was always uncomfortable." Harry explained with a grimmace, "Rumors were always flying around and it never helped when I dissapeared and reappeared after time in the hospital wing."

"True." Ron nodded, "It only enocouraged more rumors."

"Which we usually set right." Hermione added, "If we could without revealing too much that is."

"Didnt work all that well." Ginny sighed, "I know almost every rumor that went around, correcting them seemed to make it worse because people want to know everything about how you knew and if it really was true."

"It was worth a try." Harry shrugged, "With the title there was always going to be rumors anyway."

"True enough. It was like that for the Maruaders at times." James smiled, "Our reputation caused a lot of rumors to go around, especially when we did a big prank or one of us had a date or something."

"What was the most ridiculus one again?" Lily asked.

"6th year at christmas." Sirius chuckled, "After Peeves locked the three of us in a broom cubbord all day. Thank's again for that Prongs."

"I didnt start it!" James protested, "Peeves had it coming to him."

"Explain later." Remus advised him, "I suspect everyone wants to know that one."

Everone nodded looking very curious.

**He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.**

**Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.**

**"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before the next year starts..."**

"Ah, he always said something like that!" James laughed.

"And our heads always went empty." grinned Sirius.

**"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points;"**

"That's disgraceful!" James yelled. "Even when we lost a hundred and fifty points it wasn't that bad! We were still in the four hundreds! And third!"

**"in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw have four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."**

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.**

**"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However,"**

"However?" James said hopefully.

**"recent events must be taken into account."**

"YES! Please tell me he's going to award a bunch of point to Harry for bravery or something!"

**The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

**"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First - to Mr Ronald Weasley..."**

"Ron?" frowned Sirius. "Why?"

"For defeating the chess set." Minerva put in.

**Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with bad sunburn.**

**"... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

**Gryffindor cheers nearly reached the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver.**

They grinned.

"We done that a few times." James smiled.

**Percy could be heard telling the other Prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"**

They all snickered as Percy grinned at his little brother who grinned back.

"I was increadbly proud of you at that time Ron." he admitted.

"We all were when we found out. Perce just boasted about it more." George smirked.

Ron blushed a little at the praise.

**At last there was silence again. "Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

**There were more cheers.**

"Weird reason, though." Remus said.

"Who cares?" James said again. "It's still fifty more points to Gryffindor!"

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears.**

Sirius and James shared a look that plainly said, 'girls!'

"I hadnt, I just didnt like the attention." Hermione explained.

**Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up.**

**"Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..."**

"YES!" yelled James so loud that Lily thought she might be going deaf. Harry, Remus and Ginny winced, "Oop's sorry." he said sheepishly.

"It's fine, just try watch the volume a little." Remus sighed rubbing his ears. James nodded.

**said Dumbledore. "... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."**

"YEAH!" they all thundered. Well, except the Slytherin's in the room.

**The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points - exactly the same as Slytherin.**

"Argh! Why couldn't Dumbledore have given them just one more damn point?" Sirius moaned.

**They had drawn for the House Cup - if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.**

**Dumbledore raised his hand.**

**The room gradually fell silent.**

**"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points"**

They all (except Sirius) held their breath.

**"to Mr. Neville Longbottom."**

The room erupted with deafening cheers.

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table.**

**Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer and Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him.**

"I wasn't expecting that. It was the first time I had won any points at all." Neville chuckled.

**He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before.**

**Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy,**

"It was kind of mean of him." Draco pouted, "If he was going to award points he should he done it before he announced that Slytherin won."

"I did tell Albus that it wasn't fair on the Slytherin's, Severus did too." Minerva told him. "He usually didnt do that."

**who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind curse put on him.**

**"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin,**

They grinned.

"I guess everyone hated Slytherin. Sorry you lot." James shrugged.

"I think were all used to everyone hating us because of our house." Regulus said and Cissy, Draco, Andy and Astoria nodded. "It's pratically un-avoidable. The moment the hat shout Slythering your branded as evil and everyone hates you." he added sighing.

"I'll be trying to change that." Minerva smiled.

**"we need a little change of decoration."**

**He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand,**

"He took it surprisingly well." Minerva muttered, sounding amused.

**with a horrible forced smile.**

**He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings towards him hadn't changed one jot.**

**This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year,**

"Not a chance." grinned Ron.

"What fun would normal be?" laughed Hermione.

"We'd be nothing in a normal world!" Harry said dramatically. "I don't think we'd survive more than 10 minutes."

The Golden and Silver Trio's burst into laughter but everyone else looked worried.

**or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.**

**It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch or Christmas or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.**

"It's a damn good memory to keep." James exclaimed.

**Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks;**

"Good for you." Lily beamed.

**Hermione, of course, came top of the year.**

"No real shock there." snorted Sirius.

**Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.**

"It's my best subject." Neville announced proudly. "Herbology, not Potions." he added with a chuckle, "Even by 5th year I still melted a cauldron at least twice a year."

**They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out,**

"Nope." sighed Sirius.

**but he had passed, too.**

"What a shame." said James.

**It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.**

They all smiled.

**And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets;**

Most laughed.

**notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays (I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the country-side became greener and tidier; eating Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.**

"Aww. Now he has to go back to those damn Dursleys." moaned James.

"Well, they'll be less mean to him now that he knows he's a wizard." Sirius said.

"Hopefully." added Lily.

"You got that partly right." Harry admitted, "They were nicer but they were still horrible."

**It took a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in two's and three's so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.**

**"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you - I'll send you an owl."**

"Thank god. This way he can get away from the Dursleys as soon as possible!" James said, relieved.

**"Thanks," said Harry. "I'll need something to look forward to."**

**People jostled them as they moved forwards towards the gate-way back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

**"Bye, Harry!"**

**"See you, Potter!"**

"Nice that you have so many friends." Lily smiled.

"Not friends, Mum, admirers." Harry joked.

Lily rolled her eyes.

**"Still famous," said Ron grinning at him.**

**"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry.**

They all groaned.

**He, Ron and Hermione passed through the gateway together.**

**"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!"**

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

Ginny blushed and glared at Harry.

"Sorry Gin." he said putting his hands up in surrender. "You expect me to remember that was in there?"

"It's your memory." she snapped.

"Dosnt mean I remember it all." he huffed, "I remember the time and place, not everything that was said."

**"Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see -"**

**"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."**

**Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

**"Busy year?" she said.**

**"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley."**

"Good, you didn't forget your manners." Lily smiled proudly.

**"Oh, it was nothing, dear."**

"It's a heck of a lot more than anything those greedy Dursleys gave you!" Molly said bitterly.

**"Ready, are you?"**

**It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people.**

**Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.**

James grinned. "It'll be better that way, probably." he smirked.

**"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs Weasley.**

"Well, this should be... interesting," said Andy uncertainly.

"They'd better not be rude!" Lily scowled.

**"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away.**

"I was quite shocked at how they treated you." Molly admitted.

**Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

**"See you over the summer, then."**

**"Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione,**

"Nothing good about where I'm headed." sighed Harry.

"Only annoying your fat cousin, Uncle and weird, long-necked aunt." Fred joked. "No offence Lily." he added.

"None taken." she replied, "If I ever see her again she better have a good reason why I shouldnt hex her." she growled.

**looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.**

"If anyone can, it's the Dursley's." Remus said, shaking his head.

**"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face.**

"What've you got to grin about?" Dora asked curiously.

**"They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home."**

"That's brilliant! Inspired! Pure genius!" James exclaimed happily.

**"I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."**

They all laughed or chuckled at that one.

"Good one Harry." James said through his laughter.

"Pure genius." Sirius added chuckling.

"Thank you. Anyway that was my first year." Harry said looking at his watch. "It's 10.30 so I think we should all go up to bed and continue in the morning around noon."

Everyone nodded and went up to bed Astoria and Luna joining Hermione and Ginny in Ginny's room and Neville joining Harry, Ron and Draco in Ron's room. Bill and Fleur went home for the night and Minerva back to Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p>

And I apologise for any spelling mistakes I kind of rushed this one's check over as my laptops about to die :-/


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - The Apologies

7th, August, Saturday, 1998.

At the Burrow was sitting eating breakfast when Harry stood up.

"Everyone. Ginny and myself had a little talk the other day and we decided something..." he trailed off.

Ginny stood up from her seat beside him, taking his hand as she rose, she said, "We've decided that if anyone wants to be a Lycan all they have to do is ask." she said confidently.

Harry nodded. "But you have to be 100% sure or we won't do it."

Most nodded as they sat down again.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"We were going to ask about that actually." Hermione admitted quietly. "We've talked as well and we were going to ask you if you would. The skills and reflexes would come in handy if we ever got in trouble and there's more advantages than disadvantages." she explained.

Ron nodded, "I think it would be good and we've both decided that if you are willing to change us we'd like to be changed. We've always done everything together so why not this too." he added shrugging.

Harry and Ginny nodded, "I thought you would. How about after breakfast then?" Harry asked, they nodded. "Anyone else only has to ask. Do us a favour and just ask streight out instead of hinting at it, it just makes everything easier if you ask." he added.

"If you want more information you can ask as well, I certainly don't mind." Ginny put in.

"And I don't either." Harry shrugged.

Just then an owl flew in through the window and landed on the table with a letter, addressed to Harry, clamped in its beak. The owl was white and had bits of grey fluff on it, it looked as if it wasn't fully grown yet. It was clearly going to be a snowy owl when it had lost all its fluff.

"Odd. I wasn't expecting mail and I don't recognise the writing, or the owl. Though it has to be safe, or it wouldn't have passed the screening..." he frowned taking the letter from the owl and offering it a bit of his bacon which it took gratefully. He opened the letter and read it, it said:

Dear Harry,

I would like to apologise for being such a git and a bully to you when we were growing up and would also like to add that I need your help and so does Mum. Last month we were attacked by a Werewolf Dad was killed but me and Mum only got bitten... There was two other people there but they were fine and I'd like to tell you who they are in person.

I asked Mrs Figg for information on how to contact you and she told me your owl had died so I gave her money and asked her if she could buy an owl for me to give to you she agreed and brought back this owl he's a young Snowy Owl he is already fully trained and I'd like you to keep him as a token of apology.

If you can when you're not busy can you come to Privet Drive to help us? We would be grateful if you could help.

Your cousin, Big D.

When Harry had finished reading he looked up to see everyone looking at him curiously.

"It's from Dudley." he said sighing. "I'm going to have to go see him."

"What's happened?" Lily asked.

"My Uncle Vernon was killed last month..." Harry started. "By a Werewolf." Remus growled. "And Dudley and my Aunt Petunia were bitten there was two other people involved but Dudley didn't say who. The way Dudley wrote it he sounds scared."

"I don't blame him." Remus said darkly, "The full moon is on the 10th."

Harry nodded. "I know I checked the calendar this morning... I'm going to go see him."

"What about the owl Harry?" Ron asked.

"Apparently my old neighbor Mrs Figg told Dudley about Hedwig dying so he gave her money to buy one to give to me as a token of apology for being a git." Harry explained smiling slightly, "So he's mine now."

The owl chirruped happily and hopped on to Harry's shoulder.

"Well I think he likes you." Luna commented, "It's difficult to tell with some owls though. What breed is he?"

"He's a Snowy Owl, like Hedwig." Harry replied stroking the owls feathers, "The letter says he's young but fully trained apparently." the owl hooted as if in agreement.

"Hey Harry?" Ginny asked frowning.

"Yeah Gin?"

"You said two other people were involved? Why would Dudley not tell you who they were? Because they sound important or he wouldn't have mentioned them."

"I honestly don't know." he frowned. "I'll find out sooner or later." he got up and the owl flew to the window. "You can go hunting if you want." as soon as he said it the owl flew outside. "I'm going to go see Dudley I'll be back in a bit."

"I'm coming with you." Ginny said, "Just incase it's a trap, there are still some Death Eater's lose." Harry nodded and they both said goodbye, after promising to be careful, then went outside.

"Hold on tight Gin. I'll side-along you since I know where we're going." Harry explained offering her his arm which she took. They spun on the spot and went into a crushing darkness which disappeared when they landed in an alley close to Privet Drive.

"I hate side-along apparition." Ginny muttered.

"You get used to it soon enough." Harry assured her. "Though it's always unpleasant. Right it's this way." he took her hand and they started walking down the street at the end of the ally.

After they had walked for a few minutes Harry spoke.

"It's just around this corner. Gin? Please try not to hex them, try to be nice." he said seriously.

"I promise I won't hex them Harry but I'll only be nice if they are." she replied honestly as they got to the path that lead to number 4 Privet Drive.

"I suppose that's fair enough." he nodded.

They walked up the path hand in hand and Harry knocked on the door. They waited in silence, after a few seconds they heard footsteps on the stairs and Ginny squeezed Harry's hand reassuringly.

The door opened and standing there was a tired looking Dudley whose face was covered in scars, but he smiled as soon as he saw Harry. Harry noticed he looked a good deal thinner than the last time he had seen him.

"Harry. It's good to see you." he said awkwardly.

"Hello Dudley. This is my girlfriend Ginny." Harry replied.

"Hello." Ginny said.

"Hello it's nice to meet you. Please come in, my Mum's in the kitchen she'll be glad to see you again Harry, just go through to the living room and have a seat I'll go get her."

Harry and Ginny went into the living room and sat down next to each other.

"So this is where you grew up?" Ginny asked looking around the room.

"Yeah." Harry replied as Dudley walked back in with Petunia right behind him. Petunia had what was clearly a bite mark on her wrist but it was half hidden by a long-sleeved t-shirt. "Hello Aunt Petunia."

"Hello Harry." she smiled slightly, "How are you?"

"I'm good thank you. This is my girlfriend Ginny by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, have I seen you before?" Petunia asked curiously as she and Dudley sat down across from them.

"It's possible." Ginny replied. "My older brother, Ron, is one of Harry's best friends."

"And the identical twins that were here, Fred and George, are her big brothers too I'm sure you remember them?" Harry added.

"I remember those two." Dudley said nodding. Petunia nodded as well.

"How have you two been holding up then?" Harry asked.

"Good considering the circumstances." Petunia replied. "With Vernon gone and getting bitten..." she trailed off. "Harry can I just say, I know it's not much, but I'm really, really sorry for the way I treated you growing up. I should have been nicer to you it's just - it's difficult to explain..."

"Aunt Petunia what do you mean 'explain'?"

"Well only half the blame lies on Vernon, he caught me being nice to you when we first took you in." she winced, "He never let me forget that one." Harry frowned and cocked his head to the side in confusion. "He beat me up Harry, he had abused me for years, since we first got married, I didn't know how to escape form him." she sniffed and Dudley put his arm around her.

"He abused you?" Ginny asked shocked.

Petunia nodded tearfully. "He did."

"I knew he was mean but I didn't think he was that violent." Harry growled, the protective part of his Lycan side telling him that his family member had been threatened by another. "If he weren't already dead I'd kill him."

Petunia smiled sadly, "Naturally after that I never let him catch me being nice to you again, but it went wrong - somewhere along the line around the time you were 3 - I realised you wouldn't understand why I was nice some of the time and nasty the rest." she explained, "I still didn't know how to get away from Vernon. So I decided that I'd be horrible to you all the time."

"That make's sense but you could have told me when I was old enough to understand." Harry frowned.

"I know I should have but I never, so that blame lies with me." Petunia said sadly. "I regret my actions everyday."

"Thank you for explaining that Aunt Petunia... I can't forgive you completely yet but now that I know the truth I can start forgiving you." Harry said softly.

"I'd like that Harry." she smiled gratefully.

"And I'm sorry too Harry." Dudley said, "I was nothing but a bully to you when we were growing up. My only excuse is that's how I was raised, a spoiled brat, but I knew better when we were 9, I knew that what I was doing was wrong." he admitted looking ashamed, "Then when we were 11 we found out you were a wizard and that magic was real, I was terrified of your powers but I still picked on you."

"I goaded you most of the time though and some habits are hard to break." Harry told him.

"I still shouldn't have done it, we grew up together, we should have been like brothers. And then despite how I'd treated you, you saved my life from those Dementor's when we were 15, that made me think about my actions a bit more I realised I was a bully and that I had to change. So I changed myself when we were in hiding, I lost some weight and started being nicer." Dudley finished, "I'm sorry."

"Well Big D, I can see your point so how about this. I'll work on forgiving you and I'll tell you something that can get rid of your being a Werewolf same offer goes to you Aunt Petunia."

"That would be nice, but I thought there wasn't a cure?" Petunia asked blushing at the incredulous look Harry gave her, "I had a look in your school books you left here when we got bitten." Harry nodded in understanding.

"There wasn't a cure until the start of the month." Ginny explained, "It's not public knowledge yet but myself and Harry are Lycan's..." Ginny went on to explain everything they knew about Lycan's and about the deal with Death and the returnees with Harry commenting now and then, when they had finished there was a short silence.

"Lily's alive?" Petunia finally asked.

"Yes and so is my Dad." Harry replied.

"You know I never really hated her. I was scared of her magic, I was too embarrassed to admit it..."

"Kind of like me and Harry then?" Dudley asked. "Only you two got along before you knew?"

Petunia nodded, "Kind of like that. But when I was ready to talk to her I was engaged to Vernon and he told me he didn't want anything to do with her kind and that he'd kill me if he ever found out I'd been nice to her." she explained miserably. "I know it hurt her deeply and if she will listen I would like to apologise."

"I think she would listen. I may not know her that well yet but from what I do know, she will understand." Ginny consoled her.

"So you would be willing to change us?" Dudley asked after a moment. They both nodded.

"Your family." Harry said simply.

"But we cant do it here we need another person..." Ginny frowned.

"We can ask Moony and Padfoot for help. That's my Godfather and Remus Lupin." Harry added to Petunia and Dudley who nodded in understanding.

"Wait a minute. Harry I thought your Godfather was an escaped convict from that prison, Azka-thingy?" Dudley said, just a tad confused.

"Azkaban Dud. He was framed he always was innocent I just never told you." Harry admitted sheepishly.

"I thought that he seemed too nice the first time I met him." Petunia smiled. "Dudley? What time is Amber getting back at?" she added to her son, frowning.

"Um..." Dudley checked the clock that was on the fireplace. "In about 10 minutes." he told her. "Harry there's something I've got to tell you."

"What is it Dudley?"

"Well... when we went into hiding there was someone else we met, she was in hiding too, and well, I fell in love with her and we got married." Dudley replied.

"Really?" Harry replied shocked.

Dudley nodded showing Harry the wedding band on his left ring finger, Harry was surprised he'd missed seeing it. "We got married under her name as well." he said, "Her name is Amber Moon, so I'm now Dudley Moon." Harry nodded still looking shocked. "The other thing is... We kind of had a child, a little girl."

"You have a daughter?" Harry asked still shocked as Dudley nodded again.

"She's called Cecelia and she's almost three months old." Petunia put in, smiling at the thought of her Granddaughter. "Amber knows about magic because she was there when we were attacked by that Werewolf, she was the one who stopped it killing us too... Cecelia's also magical, she had a tantrum a while ago and blew the lights in the house. I ended up explaining to her that you were the same way when you were young." she explained blushing.

"We know about your statue of secrecy but she knew about magic already, we don't know how." Dudley added.

"Oh." Harry said raising an eyebrow at Ginny.

"So she know's about Harry's being a wizard?" she asked getting nods. "And Harry has a magical cousin?" Petunia and Dudley nodded again.

"Okay can I check something here?" Harry asked taking his wand out of his pocket as the two Muggles nodded again. "Aunt Petunia can you take my wand and give it a wave for me?" Petunia took the wand hesitantly and did as she was asked and was shocked when pale pink and bright orange sparks came out of it. "Dudley you try it." Harry took the wand from his Aunt and passed it to Dudley who waved it around causing electric blue and lemon yellow sparks to come out of it. Harry took his wand back.

Ginny frowned, "How is that possible?" she asked.

"I was reading something the other day about late witches and wizards." Harry said. "Sometimes, according to the book, a person's magical core can lie dormant in their bodies, the book said that half the time if a Muggle has a magical sibling they have magic that is dormant but can be unlocked if that person has a big enough scare... I think a werewolf attack would be a big enough scare to unlock it." he explained.

Ginny nodded thinking that it made no sense but she understood that the attack would be a big enough scare for anyone.

"We can read into it more later." she decided, "In the mean time congratulations you two are now an active part of the magical population."

They were both shocked, understandably of course, but after a moment Petunia asked.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well the first step would be to talk to people at Hogwarts and see if we can get you two some classes." Harry said. "Then it's a trip to Diagon Alley to get some supplies and to get you two wands." they nodded just as a red Volvo stopped outside the house.

"That will be Amber. I'll be back in a minute." Dudley said getting up to go help her with his daughter.

"Hey Harry? You don't think she could be related to Remus do you?" Ginny asked.

"It's possible. Remus was born a Moon." he replied frowning. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Just then Dudley came in, carrying a car seat with a sleeping baby girl in it, followed by a woman who had tawny brown hair, fair skin, blue eyes and a strong build.

"Harry, Ginny, this is my wife Amber and our daughter Cecelia." Dudley introduced while taking Cecelia out of the car seat. "Amber this is my cousin Harry and his girlfriend Ginny."

"Nice to meet you. Hold on, your Harry Potter." Amber said shocked looking at the scar on his forehead. "Dudley you never told me his second name."

"Do you know him?" Dudley asked curiously.

"Not personally no but Dudley... can I tell you something?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded. "Well you know how I knew about the war and everything the wizarding world was going through and how I wasn't that shocked that Cecelia has magic or when we were attacked by that stupid Werewolf?" he nodded again. "Well I've been keeping secrets." she admitted.

"You're a witch aren't you?" Ginny asked.

"Gin you don't even need to ask I can smell the magic on her and so can you." Harry snorted. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him.

Amber nodded. "I was going to tell you today Dudley, before I left but... I just didn't know how to put it." she admitted.

Dudley was in shock, "You never told me. I never realised." he laughed suddenly, "I married a witch." he started laughing hysterically.

"I thought you were hiding something." Petunia said smugly, "It was the same way with my sister when she found out before she got her Hogwarts letter." she explained.

"Your not mad?" Amber asked.

Dudley shook his head. "I understand you weren't sure how I would take it. There's something we found out just before you arrived actually..." he explained what Harry said about late magic.

Amber laughed when he finished, "Ironic that we all have magic now that I've come clean about being a witch."

Harry spoke up, "I think your all welcome to come join us at the Burrow, Ginny's family home."

Ginny nodded, "For a few nights until you adjust to your forms and having magic, we don't need any accidents." she smiled.

"Aunt Petunia we can change you and Dudley there and you can see my parents." Harry said, Petunia nodded.

"Wait you said 'change'?" Amber asked.

Harry quickly explained about being Lycan's and about the returnees.

"What about the memories Harry?" Ginny asked.

"They can join us. We're going over my years at Hogwarts." he explained, "It would be an excellent chance for you to get to know me better."

His Aunt and cousin nodded as did Amber.

"That would be nice. I have wondered why you'd always come home with an injury of some sort." Petunia mused.

"Well we finished my 1st year last night. We will be starting my 2nd year at noon-ish." Harry explained.

"Okay so grab what you need and we can side-along Apparate you, I trust you know what that is?" Ginny asked. They all nodded and Petunia left to go upstairs. "Brilliant!" she exclaimed, "Harry should I send a patronus to Mum warning her about the extra guests?" Harry nodded so she took out her wand, "Expecto Patronum-meso." she said clearly, a doe sprang from her wand. "Go to Mum and tell her we have four more guests, three adults and an infant." the doe nodded and left.

"Gin, yours was a horse." Harry said confused.

"It changed." she said simply shrugging. He nodded.

"What was that?" Dudley asked.

"A patronus it's what I used to save us from the Dementors, Dud." Harry replied. "Only mines is a stag." he added. "Though most of the other's don't know that yet, so please try not to let it slip."

"Well we've got everything so shall we go?" Petunia asked coming back into the room with a bag full of clothes, Amber already had Cecelia's baby bag.

"Yes." Harry replied and they all stood up, "This will feel a little uncomfortable. Dudley, Aunt Petunia if you two would grab one of my arms each and I'll come back for you three." he added to Ginny and Amber, who took Cecelia from Dudley.

He disappeared with a 'CRACK'.

"My I'd forgotten how loud it is when someone Apparates." Ginny said, rubbing her ears. Amber nodded sympathetically, looking down amazed that Cecelia didn't wake up.

"Sleep's like a rock this one." she chuckled.

"Oh Harry's Godson is like that too." Ginny giggled. "He slept through a lot of shouting while we were covering Harry's first year." there was a low 'Pop' and Harry appeared again.

"It's louder when I've got people with me." he commented. "Right ladies hold on tight." they did and they vanished into the crushing darkness that was Apparation.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 - The Reunion.

7th, August, 1998.

At the Burrow Harry had just arrived with Ginny, Amber and little Cecelia. They were in the garden and Dudley and Petunia were waiting on them at the gate.

"Come on then." Ginny said, still holding Harry's hand. "Follow us." she walked towards the house, with Harry beside her and everyone else following her.

Everyone was in the kitchen when they walked in.

"Hello." Ginny said pleasantly, greetings were called back from everyone, except Lily who was staring at Petunia.

"Hello Petunia." she said stiffly.

"Lily." Petunia breathed.

"Everyone this is my Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley." Harry said, "And this is his wife Amber and their daughter Cecelia." most nodded politely at them.

"Lily before you say anything I'm sorry." Petunia burst out. She then explained about what Vernon had done. Most were shocked to hear what had gone on.

"Petunia." Lily said tears in her eye's, she got up and hugged her big sister, who also had tears in her eye's.

"So who is everyone? I know a few face's but I don't know names." Dudley explained.

"Everyone introduce themselves and add something if you want to. Hermione you start." Harry said.

"Well I'm Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends." she said.

"And I'm Ron Weasley, Hermione's boyfriend and Harry's other best friend. I'm also the youngest Weasley son."

"I'm Bill Weasley the oldest Weasley son and this is my wife Fleur. We both work for Gringotts, the Wizarding bank." he added.

"I'm Charlie Weasley, the second oldest and I'm a Dragon Tamer."

"I'm Percy Weasley, the third oldest and Senior Undersecretary to the Minister."

"We're Fred and George Weasley." the twins said together. "Pranksters extraordinaire and owners of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." Fred added.

"George is the one who has a hole in the side of his head instead of an ear." Ginny said, "Otherwise you can hardly tell them apart." she added chuckling as the twins pouted.

"I'm Arthur Weasley and this is my wife Molly." Arthur said, "We're the parent's of the 7 Weasley's."

"Wow that's a lot of children." Amber put in.

"It is." Molly agreed, "But we wanted a big family." she explained.

"And that's what we have." Arthur said smiling kindly.

"I'm James Potter, Harry's Dad and Lily's husband. I'm also known as Prongs." James said smiling as Lily re-joined him after hugging Petunia.

"And obviously I'm Lily Potter." Lily said smiling.

"I'm Remus Lupin, also known as Moony, and this is my wife Nymphadora -"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus! Its just Dora." she said to those who didn't know. "And this is our son Teddy." she added, looking at Teddy who was on her knee, eating a mashed up banana.

"I'm Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora's Mum. Just call me Andy." Andy smiled.

"Mum." Dora complained, "Dont call me Nymphadora!" most chuckled as Andy smirked at her daughter.

"But it's your name darling." she said innocently.

"It's a stupid name." she muttered, pouting.

"I'm Narcissa Black, Andy's little sister, and this is my son Draco Black and his fiancée Astoria Greengrass. Please just call me Cissy." Cissy cut in before Andy could start arguing with Dora.

"Oh and we were Malfoy's until this month." Draco added. "Just so you don't get confused by references to the past."

"I'm Sirius Black, also known as Padfoot." Sirius grinned, "I think you've heard of me before?" he added to Petunia who nodded.

"Of course I have, you were all over the news when you escaped that prison. Harry told us that your innocent before we came." she replied smiling.

"I'm Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother and we're both the cousins of the other Black's in the room." Regulus smiled.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, I'm one of Harry's year mates from school and one of Ginny's best friends."

"I'm Luna Lovegood." Luna said dreamily her eyes unfocused. "I'm Ginny's other best friend and Neville's girlfriend."

"And Ginny, Luna and I are known as the Silver Trio while Harry, Ron and Hermione are known as the Golden Trio." Neville added grinning.

"And I'm Minerva McGonagall. Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was also everyone here's Transfiguration teacher." Minerva smiled.

"Well that's everyone." Harry grinned.

"We will try to remember everyone's names." Dudley said grinning, "But that's a lot of names to remember."

"Sure is Big D." Harry smirked.

"Remus? Are you related to John and Laura Lupin by any chance." Amber asked suddenly.

"Yes they're my Aunt and Uncle but they adopted me when I was four why?" he asked curiously.

"Because, and I know this is hard to believe, but I think your my brother." she replied hesitantly. "My birth parent's are Brian and Lucy Moon. They died when I was 3, but I was told I had a brother when I landed in hospital about 4 years ago." she explained. "And that you had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback, from there I guessed that my parent's had abandoned you and that you were sent away, but I didn't know where." she added.

Remus was shocked. "I was told that my birth parents died when I was 19. I got an owl from St. Mungo's about it. I didn't get told they had another child." he said.

Amber nodded, "You wouldn't have, they pretended I didn't exist and kept me locked away from other people..."

"Why would they do that?" Dora asked.

"Well I have an idea. I don't think they wanted Greyback to know they had another child incase he came back. I was sent to a muggle orphanage in london when they died. I got adopted by an old couple who lived on the outskirts of London, they were magical and noticed I had magic too so they adopted me and raised me." Amber explained.

"Why didn't you come to Hogwarts then?" Minerva asked, frowning.

"I never got a letter from any of the schools, I wasn't registered with the magical world, just the Muggle world. So my adopted parents home schooled me." she explained.

"So I have a sister?" Remus asked still shocked.

"Yes you do, that is if you're this little boy in this picture." Amber took out an old photo from her pocket. "When I turned 17 three years ago I inherited my parents bank vault and I found some really old pictures. I felt that I would need to bring one today so I got this one from the vault this morning." she explained handing the photo to him.

He nodded, "That's me when I was 4." he confirmed looking at his four-year old self smiling and waving at the camera. "Just before I was bitten if I'm not mistaken." he added. Amber smiled.

"I've been looking for you for a few years, then your death was reported in the Prophet." she told him.

Dudley nodded, "I have a subscription." he admitted, "I wanted to know what had happened to Harry so I followed the stories." he explained taking an old clipping out of his pocket and holding it up so everyone could see.

The title of the article was: The-Man-Who-Conquered, and was accompanied by a photo of a very tired looking Harry with Ginny, Ron and Hermione beside him, looking equally tired. All of them, except Ginny, were so thin you could see their bones through their skin and their clothes hung off them drastically.

"That was about two days after the battle." Harry sighed. "We were forced to do a photo shoot when we just wanted to rest and grieve in peace." he explained.

"I have more article's at home." Dudley explained, "We had no other way to find out and I didn't know how to contact you until I saw Mrs Figg last week."

"Hey Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah 'Mione?"

"I'm guessing you're going to change them before we start the 2nd year memories?" he nodded, "Well since me and Ron want to be changed as well why not do them first then we can help before you change us?"

"That sound's like a good idea actually. If you two don't mind that is." Ginny said making Petunia and Dudley shake their heads.

"Remus, Sirius can you help too?" Harry asked. "Using Padfoot and Moony?" he added.

"Sure." Remus said for them both.

"Okay let's go upstairs then."

"If you want to be there for Dudley, Amber, I can hold Cecelia for you." Lily offered.

"Thank you." she smiled and handed her daughter to Lily.

"It's no problem. I am her Great-Aunt after all." Lily replied.

After that Harry and Ginny led Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, Dudley, Petunia and Amber upstairs and into an empty guest room.

"Okay so Aunt Petunia you first." Harry smiled. "Lie on the bed and just relax, you need to accept the virus into your body in order for it to take over the Werewolf curse." he explained as she climbed on the bed and did as she was told. "Remus, Sirius can you change into Moony and Padfoot please?"

"Hold on." Ginny said, she turned to Dudley and Petunia, "Remus is a Lycan and we can change at will. Sirius is an Animagus he turns into a big black dog, Animagus's almost never have the same animal. Just thought I'd warn you before you saw a big wolf and dog." she explained.

Remus and Sirius smirked and changed into Moony and Padfoot respectively.

"Cool." Dudley said wide-eyed.

"I'll give you a warning. Shadow's bigger than Moony and so is Misty." Ron said.

When Dudley, Amber and Petunia looked confused Hermione added. "That's what they call their animal forms, like with Moony and Padfoot. Remus is Moony because he used to be a Werewolf and only changed on full moons and Sirius is Padfoot because he's a dog and has pads on his feet. And in Sussex, there is a legend about a giant, black, spectral dog similar to the Grim it's called Padfoot and he resembles drawings of that one." the wolf and dog nodded their agreement.

"Oh, okay, that makes sense." Petunia said.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked as Ginny became Misty. Petunia nodded and relaxed her body closing her eyes and holding out her left arm with the sleeve rolled up. Harry changed into Shadow.

"Wow, you are massive." Amber commented quietly as Shadow and Misty moved closer to Petunia's arm.

"Told ya." Ron said smirking.

Shadow and Misty ignored them and bit into Petunia's forearm at the same time, then moved back, changed back to human and watched as the bite marks faded in the pale blue light of the healing power.

A minute later Petunia opened her eyes.

"That felt weird it was like fire then ice then normal again." she said.

"It worked then." Harry said happily.

"Yeah. Ok, Dudley you next." Ginny said as Petunia got up, Dudley nodded and took her place with Amber following him and taking his hand.

"We will help you change into a wolf in a minute once we have Dudley done, just stand beside Moony for now." Harry told Petunia, she nodded and went to stand next to the tawny furred wolf. "Right Dudley, relax your body like your Mum did." Dudley nodded and closed his eyes relaxing his body with his arm hanging over the end of the bed.

Harry and Ginny became their wolves again and moved forward biting Dudley the same way they had bitten Petunia.

They moved and change back to human again waiting about five minutes when Dudley opened his eyes.

"It does feel weird I got the same feeling as Mum only it went fire then ice then fire again before going back to normal." Dudley explained.

Moony changed back into Remus who nodded, "That's what I had as well. It must be something to do with the male genetics how we got fire twice." he commented before changing into Moony again.

Harry nodded. "It must be." he decided, "You ony got fire then ice, didn't you Gin?" she nodded "Alright lets help you two find your wolves. What you have to do is to stand up with a bit of space between you about 5 meters." they did. "Now imagine what a wolf looks like, not a Werewolf like in the books or movies but an actual wolf, like the wild ones you see on TV."

"Now imagine yourself changing into the shape of a wolf." Ginny took over. "Take the image of the wolf you have and think 'I want to be that wolf.' and allow your body to change." she said calmly.

After a few minutes Dudley had managed to turn into a dark brown wolf with one light brown ear and a lighter brown tail. He stood at about 6 foot 3, the same height as Moony, he had slightly glowing dark brown eye's and was visibly very muscled.

"Well done Dud." Harry congratulated, "Moony can you stand next to him for a minute?" Moony nodded and went and stood next to him. "Aunt Petunia, try to relax a bit more, it doesn't hurt or anything." he said.

Petunia nodded with her eyes closed. Then slowly her form blurred into a dark blonde wolf. She had bits of white on her back and ears. She stood at about 5 foot 12 tall and was quite thin but still looked like she could cause damage if she wanted too. She had light brown eyes that were glowing slightly.

"Congratulations Aunt Petunia." Harry smiled. "You did it."

"Yes well done. Why don't you try to take a few steps forward's?" Ginny asked before changing into Misty.

"Watch how Misty's feet and legs go, it might help." Hermione suggested as Misty nodded and walked across the room and back.

Petunia and Dudley both tried to walk forwards and Dudley stumbled a bit but soon got the hang of it. Petunia almost fell but Padfoot darted forwards and stopped her just in time.

"Fantastic!" Harry exclaimed when they were both walking around easily. "Right to change back just focus on becoming human again, basically the reverse of the change into a wolf."

Both wolves nodded and a minute later both were humans again.

There had been a few changes to them both. Dudley now had even less weight and he had more muscle, the scars on his face were gone and he was slightly taller at about 6 foot tall the same height as Harry. Petunia had changed completely, she was now 5 foot 12 tall, the bite mark Harry noticed earlier was gone, had a little more fat on her previously boney figure and looked much, much healthier.

"Wow." Ron commented. "You two look really different."

Hermione conjured a mirror and they both looked at themselves in shock.

"Your right." Dudley said grinning at his reflection. "We do look different."

"I feel healthier too." Petunia said getting a nod from Dudley in agreement.

"Right well, Ron, Hermione who want's to go first?" Ginny asked as Dudley went and put an arm around Amber and Petunia went and stood next to them.

"Ladies first 'Mione, if you want to go first that is." Ron said, grinning when Hermione rolled her eyes and went and sat on the bed.

"Ready?" Harry asked Hermione and Ginny. Both nodded so he and Ginny changed into wolves and moved towards Hermione who held her arm out confidently. Both wolves bit and walked backwards a bit and Misty motioned to Ron to sit on the bed beside Hermione, he went and sat down putting an arm around Hermione and holding his other out. Both wolves bit again and stepped back changing into Harry and Ginny again.

"So how are you feeling?" Harry asked looking at his two best friends.

"I feel like there's ice in my veins." Hermione shivered. "Oh no... its gone, there was fire then ice, now it's just normal. What about you Ron?"

"There was fire but it's feeling like ice now." he started, "Nope, now it's like fire again." he winced, a minute later he said, "That's it back to normal."

"That proves Remus's theory that it has to be something to do with the male genetics." Hermione commented, "Women don't seem to get a second round of fire while the men do." she frowned.

"It might be the different genetic build ups." Dudley put in, "Males have testosterone which is said to be responsible for some male characteristics." most people in the room looked shocked. "What I did pay attention in school when I was at Smeltings." he said defensively.

"Okay... Well you two do you want to try and change into your forms?" Ginny asked her friend and brother. They nodded and stood up taking the places Petunia and Dudley had been in. "You know what to do?" they nodded and closed their eyes in concentration.

Ron, surprisingly, was the first to change. He stood just short of Shadow at about 6 foot 5.5, he was dark red but not as dark as Misty and he had patches of white on his back and chest as well as on all four of his legs. His light blue eye's were glowing slightly.

Hermione managed to change a minute after he had. She stood at around the same height as Misty at 6 foot 3.5 and was a light brown, and she had white patches on her front legs and chest as well as on her neck and her eye's, a deep mahogany brown, glowed slightly like the others.

"Wow." Harry said. "You two look quite cool as wolves." he smirked and the wolves gave him a look that clearly said 'Shut up'.

"Come on, try and walk. One at a time though." Ginny said they nodded and Ron tried to walk forwards. He almost fell until Moony got to him he gave Moony a grateful look and tried again, this time he fell before anyone could get to him landing on his chest with a yelp.

"You okay Ron?" Harry asked, the wolf nodded and got up again.

He tried to walk again and was a little steadier he only stumbled once before he was walking perfectly around the room, he stopped next to Hermione and sat down.

Hermione then tried to walk and Padfoot followed her to make sure she wouldn't fall, she only stumbled three times before she too was walking perfectly.

Moony and Padfoot changed into Remus who was grinning and Sirius who was looking at him confused.

"Well done to the four of you. That was faster than it took Padfoot to learn how to walk properly, it took him two days to stop falling over every few steps." Remus chuckled.

"Moony." Sirius whined, as Dudley, Petunia and Amber, who hadn't known this, laughed.

"It is tricky on four legs." Ron commented sympathetically, "It's easier if you see someone else doing it first."

"Too true." Hermione agreed.

"So that's it then?" Amber asked, "My goodness that didn't take long we've only been up here about 20 minutes."

"Really? It feels longer." Harry commented. "Let's go back downstairs."

They all headed downstairs to find everyone now in the living room.

"Done already?" James asked shocked. "It's only been 20 minutes."

"We know." Amber replied taking Cecelia back from Lily smiling. "That's what I just said."

"There's something I forgot to tell you all." Dudley said, "When we got married, we got married under Amber's name so I'm not a Dursley anymore I'm a Moon."

"Oh and I went back to Evans." Petunia added, "No way was I keeping Vernon's name."

"Petunia you look different." Lily said smiling, "You look healthier."

"I feel healthier too." she admitted.

"Has there been any word from Kingsley yet?" Harry asked, "He said he'd return in the morning to join us with the memories."

"Yes actually." Arthur replied, "He Floo'd us when you were upstairs, he can't make it today, but he will let us know when he can." he explained, "He said something about mountains of paperwork that needed to be done."

"Who's Kingsley?" Amber asked curiously.

"It's Kingsley Shacklebolt isn't it?" Petunia asked and Harry nodded.

"You remember him then." he said, "If you've been getting the Daily Prophet you must have seen he was elected as Minister for Magic at the end of the war."

"Wait it's that Kingsley? I thought it was someone else you were talking about." Amber said, "Not the Minister of Magic."

"Right then since everybody's already here why don't we start the memories of our 2nd year?" Hermione put in from where she had sat down with Ron next to her and Ginny on her other side with a space for Harry to sit down.

They all nodded and Harry got the Pensieve from Minerva.

"What is that?" Petunia asked curiously.

"It's a Pensive. It allows people to show their memories to others." Minerva explained kindly. "This one has a charm on it at the moment so a screen comes up and so that we can hear Harry's thoughts."

"Kind of like TV." Harry added.

"Cool." Dudley whispered. "So we will actually be able to hear Harry's thoughts?" he asked.

"Yup Dud. You will be able to hear my thought's, though most of it seems to be from an outsiders point of view." Harry replied with a shrug, taking a seat beside Ginny. "Okay lets start."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 - Second Year (Part 1)

7th, August, 1998.

"I think we will start with my 12th birthday." Harry said, flicking his wand so the memory started.

**Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.**

"Good job, Hedwig. That git doesn't deserve to sleep." Dora said, bouncing a sleepy Teddy on her knee.

**"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"**

**Harry tried, yet again, to explain.**

**"She's bored," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night -"**

"That poor owl needs to be let out. You shouldn't keep animals caged." Sirius said. "All of them should be free."

"What about the animals at the zoo's or in animal shelters?" Draco asked amused.

Sirius nodded his head violently. "Them too. I will make it my personal mission to free all the trapped animals."

"Oh no you've gone and given him an idea now." Lily moaned.

"But Paddy, think about all the big snakes. Do you really want them all slithering around?" James said innocently.

"Not really." Sirius grumbled.

"And what about all the animals that eat dogs and humans?" Remus inquired.

"Fine I get the point. They can stay in the cages." he sighed. "But owls should still be free to fly around."

"Vernon didn't understand that. He liked control and keeping Hedwig in her cage made Harry just as unhappy as her." Petunia explained, "That was his main problem, he didn't care how cruel he was as long as Harry was unhappy. I did tell him he should've just gave in." she shrugged.

**"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache.**

"Is that a trick question?" James asked.

**"I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."**

"He'll use her to talk with his friends?" Ron questioned sarcastically.

**He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.**

**Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.**

"Disgusting." Sirius said.

"Oop's." Dudley blushed.

**"I want more bacon."**

**"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance… I don't like the sound of that school food…"**

**"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"**

**Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry.**

Sirius opened his mouth to comment, but one glare from Dudley made him reconsider his idea and he closed his mouth.

**"Pass the frying pan."**

**"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.**

"And there goes Vernon." Petunia sighed.

**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.**

**"I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean ****-****"**

**"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"**

"Unbelievable." James said. "Nobody's going to find anything out by someone saying magic."

Lily shook her head. "I can't believe how stupid he actually is."

**"But I ****-****"**

**"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.**

"I would never threaten anyone." Harry huffed. "Not on purpose anyway or with the intention of actually doing something." he added.

"Except Death Eaters." Draco smirked, "You scared quite a lot of them by just pointing your wand at them, maybe even more than Voldemort."

"Including Lucius. For some reason he was terrified of you since the end of your 2nd year." Cissy mused, "Unless he had back-up or you were tied up." she added.

"Good." Harry smirked, "Death Eaters being scared of me is a good thing."

"Especially since we're still targets for the ones on the loose to attack us." Hermione nodded.

**"I just ****-****"**

**"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"**

"He didn't mention anything about being a wizard. He just said magic." Dora muttered.

"I can't believe you had to live with that idiot Harry." Remus said.

**Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.**

**"All right," said Harry, "all right..."**

**Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes.**

**Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be.****Harry Potter was a wizard.**

"Obviously." James grinned.

**-**** a wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt.**

**He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master),**

"Who would miss that slimy git?" Sirius muttered, Lily glared at him. "Sorry but it's true."

**the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).**

**All Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home. What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer?**

"Muggleborns can't practice during the summer either and they don't get thrown off." Remus said reasonably.

"Besides that, he's the best Seeker ever." James said proudly.

"They're right mate." Ron told Harry. "Both of them."

Harry shrugged.

**What was it to the Dursleys if Harry went back to school without any of his homework done? The Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard in the family was a matter of deepest shame. Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage, to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world.**

**Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family.**

"Thank Merlin for that." Frank muttered.

"He got my great looks and Lily's beautiful eyes." James said, smiling at his wife.

Lily shook her head amused and leaned against her husband, who put an arm around her shoulders.

"It was a little unnerving how alike he was to his parents, especially when he hit his growth spurt at 16." Petunia mused.

"So you do remember the times at Platform 9 3/4." Lily grinned, "I thought you said you didnt just before I moved out."

"I lied." she shrugged.

**Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that was always untidy. He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin, lightning-shaped scar.**

**It was this scar that made Harry so particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before.**

**At the age of one year old,**

"Oh great, we have to hear about this again." Lily muttered.

**Harry had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak.**

"Not anymore. He's gone and that's that." Neville smirked.

**Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but Harry had escaped with his lightning scar, and somehow ****-**** nobody understood why ****-****Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill Harry. So Harry had been brought up by his dead mother's sister and her husband. He had spent ten years with the Dursleys, never understanding why he kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Dursleys' story that he had got his scar in the car crash that had killed his parents.**

**And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry, and the whole story had come out. Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous... but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly.**

"There's nothing wrong with dogs." Sirius said pouting.

"There is when they need a wash." James said wrinkling his nose.

**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday.**

**Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present, let alone a cake ****-**** but to ignore it completely...**

"I knew what day it was." Dudley said, "But I was still a git back then, sorry Harry."

"Yes I knew what day it was too but I couldn't be nice to you in front of Vernon." Petunia admitted. "Or Dudley."

"There was a possibility I'd tell Dad." Dudley shrugged.

**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day."**

**Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe it.**

**"This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon.**

"Git." James grumbled.

**Harry went back to his toast. Of course, he thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party. He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills).**

**"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be ****-****?"**

**"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."**

**"Good, good. And Dudley?"**

**"I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**

**"They'll love him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.**

**"Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And you?"**

**"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry tonelessly.**

Lily growled.

**"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen ****-****"**

**"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"And, Dudley, you'll say ****-****"**

**"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.**

**"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.**

**"And you?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry.**

**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully.**

Lily looked ready to hex someone. It was quite lucky she didn't have a wand.

"Mum calm down." Harry soothed, "I was used to it." he added.

**"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?"**

**"Vernon tells me you're a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason… Do tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason…"**

**"Perfect… Dudley?"**

**"How about ****- ****'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about you.'"**

**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing.**

"I knew you were laughing. I made it cheesy on purpose." Dudley chuckled.

**"And you, boy?"**

**Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged.**

**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," he said.**

**"Too right, you will." said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way.****"**

Lily and Petunia glared at the memory. "There is nothing wrong with my son/nephew." they both said together then smiled at each other.

**"****When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. Be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow."**

**Harry couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive.**

**"Right ****-**** I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you," he snarled at Harry. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning."**

"At least Harry doesn't have to clean." Fred said.

"Probably his present for his birthday. Stay out of everyone's way." George said.

"Probably." Harry agreed. Petunia nodded.

"I couldn't get you anything else." she explained, "Not with Vernon around all day. The most I could manage was to get you off your chores."

"It's fine Aunt Petunia." he smiled.

**Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath:**

**"Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me…"**

"That's so sad." all the women said sadly.

"I was feeling lonely." Harry admitted.

**No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. He gazed miserably into the hedge. He had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.**

**They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay.**

"We did send letters. Loads of them." Hermione said when most people turned to glare at her and Ron.

"It's true Harry explains it later." Ron put in.

"I will." Harry confirmed.

**Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Harry hadn't told the Dursleys this; he knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking him in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick.**

**For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him. But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal ****-**** and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday.**

"We did not forget." Hermione huffed. "Who do you think we are?"

"Sorry but it seemed that way to me alright?" Harry said apologetically. "And this bits mostly doubts and accusations."

**What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream…**

"Well thanks." Draco rolled his eyes.

**Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes ****- ****Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge ****-**** and the hedge was staring back. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.**

"What?" Remus said confused.

**Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.**

**"I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward him.**

**The huge eyes blinked and vanished.**

**"What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been.**

**"I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him.**

**"Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."**

James snickered. "Just like his mother." Lily whacked the back of his head. "What you can be cheeky when you want to be." Lily just huffed.

**"Today's your birthday," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"**

"He's got more friends than you." James sneered.

"And they are actually loyal friends." Remus added, before glancing at Ron and Hermione. "Or at least we hope they are."

Hermione huffed. "I'm telling you, we sent him letters! They just never got to him."

**"Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly.**

**Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.**

**"Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously.**

**"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry.**

Lily smacked her forehead. "That's definitely your father's brain."

"Hey!" James and Harry objected.

"I was trying to scare him." Harry protested.

"And it worked." Dudley said pouting.

**Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face.**

**"You c-can't ****-**** Dad told you you're not to do m-magic ****-**** he said he'll chuck you out of the house ****-**** and you haven't got anywhere else to go ****-**** you haven't got any friends to take you ****-****"**

**"Jiggery pokery!" said Harry in a fierce voice. "Hocus pocus ****-**** squiggly wiggly ****-****"**

**"MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!"**

**Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun. As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan.**

"Petunia!" Lily shrieked.

"I wasn't going to hit him." Petunia said, "I was going to cover him in bubbles then tell him to go hide before Dudley told Vernon." she explained. "I just gave him chores instead."

**Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished.**

Lily grumbled at that. "He didn't even do anything."

"I only said that so he wouldn't come back inside while I was busy in the kitchen." Petunia shrugged.

"I wasn't allowed inside either." Dudley pouted.

**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench.**

**The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself... maybe he didn't have any friends at Hogwarts...**

"After everything we went through the year before, you really thought that." Hermione said. "If we weren't friends, we wouldn't have gone with you through the trapdoor."

"'Mione's right mate, we probably would have stopped you physically or ignored you completely and stayed in the common room." Ron added.

"I know that now." Harry told them.

"Yeah after they told you a million times." Ginny smirked.

"Shush you." he whispered to her.

**Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face.**

**It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him.**

**"Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"**

**Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.**

"Bet he doesn't get any of that." Sirius said.

**"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.**

"What kind of meal is that?" Lily hissed.

"I didn't make it. Vernon did." Petunia defended herself.

**Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!"**

**As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.**

**"Remember, boy ****-**** one sound ****-****"**

**Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.**

"Hold on I need to change the memory." Harry said getting up to go change it.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - Second Year (Part 1.5)

7th, August, 1998.

"Okay here we go." Harry said sitting down next to Ginny again.

**Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.**

"A House-Elf." Remus said.

"What's a House-Elf doing there?" Sirius questioned, looking at Harry.

Harry raised a brow. "Why are you looking at me? I won't tell you."

**Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.**

**As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall.**

**"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**

**The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.**

"He must have horrible masters if he's wearing that." Lily said. Draco and Cissy fidgeted but no one except Harry and Minerva noticed.

"Most old pure-blood families treat their house-elves horribly." James replied.

"I think he should try to get set free or escape and go to Hogwarts." Percy said.

Hermione nodded her head with a smile. "Hogwarts is the best place for them. It would be good if he could go to a better family if he can't get to Hogwarts." she said, "James, did you have any house-elves?" she frowned.

James smiled and nodded his head. "A few. They officially became mine when my parents died. I don't allow them to punish themselves or anything though." he said. "I wonder if any of them survived after we died." he wondered aloud.

"One of the reason I love him. He respects everyone." Lily said and kissed her husbands cheek.

"Why not try to call one Dad?" Harry suggested.

James nodded, "Lanky!" he called.

A female House-Elf with bright blue eyes appeared in front of them dressed in a bright red pillow case which had a golden crest on it.

"Master Jamesy? Mistress Lily flower? Yous is alive? Lanky thought yous was dead." the elf sobbed before hugging James's leg.

"We were Lanky." Lily said kindly. "It's a long story. We will explain it to you later." the elf nodded, letting go of James.

"Hey Lanky. Did any of the others survive?" James asked.

The Elf nodded, "Yes Master Jamesy. Pinky and Boomer are alive and Echo." she said, "But the rest was killed by men in black robes with funny masks."

"Death Eaters." James growled as the Elf nodded solemnly.

"Yes Master Jamesy." the Elf said sadly, the Elf then looked around, "Mister Sirius! Mister Remus! It is nice to see yous again." she squeaked.

"Nice to see you too Lanky." Sirius grinned.

"It's nice to know you survived both wars." Remus added smiling kindly at the elf who nodded.

"Oh Lanky. This is our son Harry." Lily said gesturing to Harry who waved.

"This is little Master Harry? I has not seen him since he was a baby." the Elf squeaked going over and shaking his hand, "I knew you survived that bad mans attack but I could not find you." the Elf explained sadly.

"It's fine Lanky I was living with my relatives." Harry told her, "In a Muggle household." he added, making the Elf nod in understanding.

"Lanky? Why don't you go find the others and tell them that we're alive?" James suggested.

"Of course Master Jamesy. Goodbye." she squeaked before popping away.

"Well that answers my question. Four of them survived." James said frowning.

"How many did you have?" Amber asked curiously.

"We had eight." Lily replied shaking her head sadly. "Lanky's the Head-elf." she added.

"What was the crest on her chest?" Harry asked.

"You didn't recognise it?" James asked. Harry shook his head. "It's the Potter crest. I would have thought one of these two, especially Sirius, would have shown you." he said looking at his two best friends.

"I was going to." Sirius said defensively. "The summer after his 5th year but I died."

"I thought Harry had already seen it." Remus added.

"Nope." Harry replied.

"This is it." James said pulling his trouser leg up to show a tattoo with the crest on the side of his leg. The crest showed two lions on their hind legs facing each other with the words 'Esto vir fortis, fortis, et non timebis' underneath them. "I had that done when I was 17." he explained.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"It means 'Always be strong, brave and unafraid.' It's the Potter motto." James replied smiling.

"Cool." George grinned. "What was our one again Dad?"

"It's 'Semper in fide, et dilectione. Et viri fortes.' I forgot what it means, I don't know Latin." Arthur admitted.

"It means 'Forever be loyal and loving. Brave and fearless.'" James told him.

"That's what it is. I keep forgetting. Thank you." he replied. James just smiled.

"Better than the Black motto, 'Tojours Pur'." Sirius muttered.

"Always pure?" Fleur asked.

"Exactly, just show's how bad our family was when it came to blood purity." Regulus shrugged.

"Okay back to the memories." Harry said.

**"Er ****-**** hello," said Harry nervously.**

**"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir... Such an honor it is..."**

**"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"**

"Good Harry. Use those manners that you were never taught." James said ignoring Petunia's blush.

"Were you taught manners, James?" Hermione asked amused. She expected Lily to say something, but not James.

James nodded his head. "Yep. All kids from old Pureblood families are taught manners. Whether they use the manners or not, is another thing. Most kids from old Pureblood families forget those manners when they go to Hogwarts. They use the manners when around their parents and relatives, but at school we drop the I'm-more-mature-than-you act and act like the rest of kids."

"The Slytherin raised Pure-bloods are taught differently. They are taught manners, but that includes being rude to those who are below you." Regulus said. "That's why they act the way they do at Hogwarts."

"And by the time they're 17, most can insult someone so subtly the person doesn't realise you've done it." Cissy added, "It's easy to realise when the person does notice though, they're usually mad."

"Cant imagine why." the twins said dryly.

**"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the House-Elf," said the creature.**

**"Oh ****-**** really?" said Harry. "Er ****-**** I don't want to be rude or anything, but ****-**** this isn't a great time for me to have a House-Elf in my bedroom."**

**Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.**

**"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"**

**"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir... it is difficult, sir... Dobby wonders where to begin..."**

**"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.**

"Uh-oh, hes not going to take it well is he?" Ginny asked quietly. Harry shook his head.

**To his horror, the elf burst into tears ****-**** very noisy tears.**

"Must be from a really bad family." Lily said sadly.

"Or maybe it was just his 'Main Master' that was bad to him." Draco suggested.

"You know who's he is don't you?" James asked.

"Yes he does but he's not telling you anything." Ron cut in. "Are you?" Draco shook his head quickly.

**"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never... never ever..."**

**Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter.**

"You did. We heard him but we thought it was you." Dudley said. "Dad said it was the cat."

"You didn't have a cat though." Hermione said.

"The Masons didn't know that." Petunia shrugged, "To be honest I thought it might have been Hedwig, I know she didn't like being locked up like that, but Vernon hid the key."

**"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything ****-****"**

**"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard ****-**** like an equal ****-****"**

**Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.**

**"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.**

**Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"**

"Why is he hurting himself?" Petunia asked shocked. She didn't know much about house-elves.

"He almost spoke bad about his masters, so he had to punish himself. Unless his master gives an order otherwise, the House-Elf has to punish him/herself." Sirius explained.

"That's horrible." Amber said upset.

James nodded his head. "That's why I ordered my House-Elves not to punish themselves ever."

"Very few do that though, since most House-Elves are owned by old, evil Pureblood families." Sirius said.

**"Don't ****-**** what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed ****-**** Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.**

**"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir..."**

**"Your family?"**

**"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir... Dobby is a House-Elf ****-**** bound to serve one house and one family forever..."**

**"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.**

**Dobby shuddered.**

**"Oh, no, sir, no... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir ****-****"**

**"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"**

**"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments..."**

**"But why don't you leave? Escape?"**

**"A House-Elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free... Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir..."**

**Harry stared.**

**"And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?" Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.**

**"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here ****-****"**

**"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby... Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew..."**

"Your really are a caring boy." Molly said to Harry, making him blush, his parents beam and most of the men in the room snicker.

**Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she ****-****"**

**But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.**

"I'm so sorry to have caused my best friend pain." Hermione muttered. "I can't believe you would actually think we would abandon you after everything we did the year before."

"Sorry." Harry said.

**"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ****-****"**

**"Voldemort?" said Harry.**

**Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"**

**"Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron ****-****"**

**He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too.**

**Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights.**

**"Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago... that Harry Potter escaped yet again."**

"How did he know that?" James asked.

"The family that owns him has a kid that attends Hogwarts." Hermione explained. "We're just not telling you who." she added smirking, making those who didn't know groan.

**Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.**

**"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."**

"Crazy House-Elf. Hogwarts is his home. No matter what, he's not going stay at the Dursley's." Ron muttered quietly, only Harry heard him.

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back ****-**** term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world ****-**** at Hogwarts."**

**"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."**

**"Why?" said Harry in surprise.**

**"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"**

"What's happening this year?" Lily asked looking scared, no one answered her.

"I wonder how he knows what is going to happen." Remus said.

"It has to be a set up. Dobby wouldn't be able to escape his master to warn Harry and then tell him not to go back to Hogwarts." Sirius said. "Such a set up."

"When you find out who owns him you wont think so." Cissy sighed.

**"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"**

**Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.**

**"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on ****-**** this hasn't got anything to do with Vol ****-**** sorry ****-**** with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.**

**Slowly, Dobby shook his head.**

**"Not ****-**** not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir ****-****"**

**But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely lost.**

**"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"**

**Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.**

**"Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing ****-**** you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"**

"Everyone knows who Dumbledore is." Fred snorted.

"Except the majority of the Muggle population." George mused.

**Dobby bowed his head.**

**"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir" ****-**** Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper ****-**** "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't... powers no decent wizard..."**

**And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps.**

**A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!"**

"Oh great, here comes the fat git." Sirius muttered.

**"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned.**

**"What ****-**** the ****- ****devil ****-**** are ****-**** you ****-**** doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke..."**

"Nobody cares about your stupid joke." Petunia growled, "It wasn't even funny."

**"****One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!"**

**He stomped flat-footed from the room.**

**Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet.**

**"See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got ****-**** well, I think I've got friends."**

"Think?" Hermione said. "Stupid pessimistic boy."

**"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.**

"How would Dobby... He's been stopping your mail, hasn't he?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded.

**"I expect they've just been ****-**** wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do you know my friends haven't been writing to me?"**

**Dobby shuffled his feet.**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best ****-****"**

**"Have you been stopping my letters?"**

**"Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.**

"See? We did write to him." Hermione said.

"How many times did you write to him?" James asked.

Hermione shrugged. "About fifteen times, maybe more. I was really worried since he wasn't replying to me. I thought something might have happened."

"Same here." Ron admitted, "Especially with what happened at the end of the year."

**Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry.**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry... Dobby hoped... if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir..."**

"It would take more than that to stop Harry from not going back to Hogwarts." Sirius said.

"It's a good thing that Dobby showed him the letters." Hermione muttered.

"Why?" James asked.

Remus sighed, "Lily's temper. It would have been hard to explain to Harry that they did write to him with him yelling at them about not writing him and him saying that they weren't really friends."

"Ah, yes. Lily's temper is not fun to deal with." James said. Lily smacked him on the back of the head making everyone else chuckle.

**Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.**

**"Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"**

**"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!"**

"He could have just lied." Frank said.

"No, I don't think he could." Hermione replied. "Dobby had set up a magical contact. If Harry said he wouldn't go, then the magical contact would set up and Harry wouldn't be able to return to Hogwarts. I asked Dobby." she added.

"Ooh a very sneaky little House-Elf." George said.

**"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.**

**Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.**

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, "... tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear..."**

**Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear.**

**Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.**

"Dobby really has no idea of how much trouble Harry will be in if he does that." James said.

Sirius shook his head. "Dobby should just mind his own business."

"Besides that, this is Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. If he doesn't show up at school and if Ron and Hermione say that he never replied to them, someone is going to come and search for him." Remus added.

"Too true." Harry muttered.

**"No," croaked Harry. "Please... they'll kill me..."**

**"Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school ****-****"**

**"Dobby... please..."**

**"Say it, sir ****-****"**

**"I can't ****-****"**

**Dobby gave him a tragic look.**

**"Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter's own good."**

**The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.**

**There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding.**

**At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our nephew ****- ****very disturbed ****-**** meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs…") He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.**

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal ****-**** if it hadn't been for the owl.**

"Oh great. Harry's got a warning for the underage restriction of sorcery." Bill said.

"But Harry didn't do any magic." Percy said.

"Yeah, but it's a Muggle suburb and Harry was the only wizard there. If any magic is done there, they will automatically assume it was Harry. And if Harry tries to say it was a House-Elf, they won't believe him, because there is no reason for a House-Elf to be there." Arthur explained, "It's a very twisted way of looking at things."

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.**

**Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.**

**"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on ****-**** read it!"**

**Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.**

**As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school. (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).**

**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.**

**Enjoy your holidays!**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Mafalda Hopkirk**

**IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE**

**Ministry of Magic**

**Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.**

**"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it... Slipped your mind, I daresay..."**

"Actually it was only Vernon and Dudley who didn't know." Petunia commented, "I remembered Lily was only allowed to use magic once."

**He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy... I'm locking you up... You're never going back to that school... never... and if you try and magic yourself out ****-**** they'll expel you!"**

**And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs.**

Lily clenched her teeth angrily and glared at the memory. "They locked you up!" she shrieked.

"Wrong. Uncle Vernon locked me up." Harry said looking at Petunia who nodded.

"I tried to tell him it was a bad idea but he wouldn't listen." she explained.

"Is that why there was all those locks on your door Harry? And a cat-flap?" Dora asked frowning.

"Yep." he said bitterly.

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window. He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.**

Lily had tears of rage in her eyes. "Damn it, Petunia. You're treating him like a prisoner."

"Not worse than Azkaban but close too it." Sirius scowled.

"It wasn't me. I would never do that to a child!" Petunia cried.

**Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.**

**What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway.**

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunias hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.**

**"It's no good turning your beak up at it ****-**** that's all we've got," said Harry grimly.**

"I can't stand this." Lily said quietly.

"Don't worry. He gets out." Fred grinned.

**He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup.**

**Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks, what would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go?**

"The Aurors would have come to check it out. You were at the top of the list of 'People to Protect' the only person above you was the minister." Dora explained. "In fact it probably would have been Kingsley and I who came to get you, we dealt with most of the cases involving Muggles." she added.

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep.**

**He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him.**

"You have weird dreams." Ginny said.

"He's a weird person." Ron pointed out grinning.

"You know, I'm not even going to argue that." Harry smirked, "Because if I'm weird that means you lot are too." he grinned at Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"You've got us there." Hermione grinned back reluctantly. Everyone laughed at their exchange.

**"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone... cut it out... I'm trying to sleep..."**

**He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone.**

"RON!" the Marauders cheered with Bill, Charlie and Percy.

**Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.**

"Your going to break him out aren't you?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Of course. We couldn't just leave him there." Ron said mock-defensivley making everyone laugh.

"Wait you said 'we', who else is there?" Remus asked.

"We are." the twins said together.

"Of course you are." Sirius grinned.

"Oh and Mum?" Ron asked.

"Yes Ron?" she replied.

"I told you they put bars on the window." he said smugly.

"It sounded unbelievable." she sighed, "I thought you were just saying that to make me less angry."

"She's right Ron it's sound's unbelievable." Bill said. "Especially since Fred and George were with you." he grinned.

"We take offence to that William!" Fred said mock-offended.

"Oh so sorry Fredrick." Bill chuckled.

Everyone laughed at the two brothers.

"I think we need to remind William why no one messes with us." George whispered to Fred who nodded.

"Bill I wouldn't mess with them." Ginny said looking at the twins who had gone into planning mode, "You know how much prank stuff they have upstairs don't you?"

Bill just grinned, "There's a fault there though. They've never been able to get me or Charlie. Both of us can remember when they were younger and therefore know all of the stories they'd rather not have people know."

The twins' heads snapped up at this. "You what?" George asked.

"I know all your childhood stories that you would rather not have everyone know. Especially Mum and Dad." Bill said smugly.

"And so do I." Charlie added, "Perce do you remember any?"

"Some," Percy admitted, "from when they were about three or four." he added smirking.

"Well damn." Fred cursed, "Gred I think they are trying to blackmail us into leaving them alone."

"I thing your right Forge. Pick a number." George replied smirking, to the confusion of the others.

"Hmm... How about 42?" Fred asked.

"Nah that got destroyed."

"Oh yeah... 20 it is then."

George nodded in agreement and too his wand out. "Accio 20." he shouted pointing his wand towards the stairs. There was a bang and a small cardboard box shot into his hand from the stairs.

"What's that?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

"Nothing dangerous we assure you." Fred said.

"Just a box full of embarrassing pictures of Bill, Charlie and Percy." George said innocently, "Ones they didn't know existed." he added as the three oldest Weasley brothers paled.

"Never mess with us." Fred advised. "We can get very, very evil when it comes to the threat of blackmail."

"We always strike back 10 times worse." George added.

"Okay, okay, we're sorry." Charlie said quickly with Bill and Percy nodding, all three still pale.

"Oh goodie." they grinned. George banished the box back upstairs.

"Like Ginny said. Never mess with Fred and George." Ron grinned as Ginny smirked.

"Right." Bill muttered. "I think I'll remember that one."

"Well now that's cleared up let's have lunch before the next memory." Harry said checking his watch. "It's 12 now so we can take a break for lunch." they all nodded and went through to the kitchen for lunch.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 - You Have To Have A Name.

7th, August, 1998.

After lunch everyone went outside for some fresh air. It was a nice day for early August.

"Hey Gin? I bet you can't catch me!" Harry exclaimed before turning into Shadow and running away playfully.

"Oh you are so on Potter!" she shouted to Shadow, she then changed into Misty and chased after him.

"We'll help." Hermione said pointing to Ron then herself before changing into her wolf with Ron following just behind her, the both started to chase after Shadow.

"Are they always like that?" Dudley asked watching the wolves with amusement.

"Not often no." Neville replied, "It's a rare thing to see any of us acting our age anymore. Especially Harry, Ron and Hermione."

"The war changed us all." Luna added wisely. "But Harry had the biggest part out of us all, so did Ron and Hermione. It affected them more than they let on."

"Unfortunately it's true." Minerva sighed. "No one knows what those three went through during the worst part of the war. They disappeared and no-one heard from them for 9 months."

"Not exactly true." Remus frowned, "I saw them twice. Once not long after they left and once at Shell Cottage when Teddy was born."

Bill nodded, "They came to us and appeared with Luna and another classmate of there's Dean Thomas as well as Ollivander who had been missing for about a year and they had a goblin with them."

"And a dead House-Elf." Fleur added. "Eet was confusing as zey would not tell us where zey had been." she explained.

"I know where we were but I think they'd be mad if I told you." Luna said pleasantly as Neville nodded.

"I feel really bad about being such a jerk to Harry. I didn't realise just how hard he really had it." Dudley frowned.

"Don't worry." Draco put in, "Your not the only one who was a jerk to him."

Dudley smiled grimly as Shadow was finally caught and pinned by the other three.

All the wolves raced back to where everyone was standing and changed back to human, all four were not in the slightest bit out of breath despite how much running they did.

"No fair!" Harry said instantly, "Three against one is just not fair." the others just grinned.

"I wouldn't have caught you on my own." Ginny admitted. "Blimey your fast." she added.

"Thank Dudley and his gang for that." he replied cheekily. Dudley blushed. "It's a good thing I am fast actually. Thank you Dud. I would have been dead a hundred times if I wasn't fast." he explained.

"Oh... Uh... You're welcome... I think?" Dudley said confused.

"It was a compliment Dud." Harry smirked.

"Your welcome then."

"Hey have you lot got names for your wolf forms yet? We have Moony, Shadow and Misty as wolves so far but what about you four?" Sirius asked Dudley, Petunia, Ron and Hermione.

"No we haven't. Do we really need one?" Petunia asked.

"Yes. It get's annoying saying 'wolf form' all the time." James explained.

"How about you change and we will suggest names to you and you can nod or shake your head." Lily suggested, the four nodded and changed into their wolves, Harry and Ginny reminding Dudley and Petunia how to do it before changing into Shadow and Misty for the sake of it.

"Look's like Shadows still the tallest." Percy commented, Shadow nodded as he sat next to the wolf that was Ron.

"In a wolf pack the largest wolf is the 'Alpha Male' or the 'Leader' of the pack with his chosen mate being the 'Alpha Female'." Remus put in, "Because Harry and Ginny were the first Lycan's and he and Ginny changed us all they are the 'Alpha's'."

"That makes sense." Dora nodded. "So all of you are classed as a pack of wolves?" she asked. Remus nodded.

"It was like that with Moony, Padfoot and Prongs too." James put in. "Padfoot was always in control of Moony and he became what Moony recognised as his 'Alpha' because he always took charge."

Remus nodded in confirmation. "Ron and Hermione would be the 'Beta's' - the ones who take control if the 'Alpha's' aren't there. Prongs was Moony's 'Beta'." all of the wolves nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"Fair enough now lets find some names we'll start with Dudley." Fred grinned, "How about 'Fluffy'?" Dudley shook his head quickly. "Only joking."

"How about... 'Killer'?" George suggested, the wolf shook his head again.

"Hmm... You look like a 'Falcon' to me, not the animal just the name." Lily explained. Dudley cocked his head to the side in thought then nodded. "Falcon it is then. Now how about one for Petunia..."

"What about... 'Ice'?" Charlie suggested. Petunia shook her head.

"'Ivy'?" Bill said. She shook her head again.

"'Hazel'?" Astoria tried, the wolf declined again.

"Hmm... 'Celena'? It means moon." James suggested, Petunia thought for a few seconds then nodded. "Celena it is then." James smiled.

"Now as for Ron and Hermione... Ron how about 'Paws'?" Neville suggested, Ron nodded enthusiastically. "Hermione... Hmm... Anyone got any ideas?" he asked. Shadow turned back into Harry, still sitting on the ground.

"Hey 'Mione I've got a suggestion, how about, 'Smokey'?" he said and the wolf nodded. "Brilliant so that's everyone got a name that they like now." Harry grinned changing back into Shadow and nudging the newly named Paws playfully.

Shadow didn't notice Misty had quietly snuck around behind him untill she pounced and he was pinned to the floor.

Everyone just laughed and Paws, Smokey, Falcon and Celena watched in amusement little 'whuffs' like the sound of laughter escaping occasionally.

Shadow stood up, causing Misty to roll off of him, and he turned to glare at her.

_What was that for! _he demanded silently.

_Nothing I just felt like it, _Misty's mind-voice said cheekily.

Shadow growled and changed back into a glaring Harry. "Just because you felt like it doesn't mean you had to sneak up on me. What would have happened if I had panicked and attacked you!" he snapped.

Misty changed back into Ginny, "Then my accelerated healing would have had a test run." she replied seriously. "Come on Harry you're not going to stay mad at me are you?" she asked sweetly.

Harry deflated, "I guess not. Just don't sneak up on me again, the only reason I never attacked you is because I smelled your scent when we landed on the ground."

"I won't do it again." she promised.

"Let's have some fun." Ron suggested turning into Paws again. Hermione copied him as did Ginny and Harry.

_Hey Gin? I'm sorry for snapping. I just can't bear the thought of hurting you._

_It's okay Harry I understand, _she replied.

Paws and Smokey both jumped as did Remus, Petunia and Dudley.

_I wonder what's up with them? _Shadow asked changing back to human. "What's up with you five?" they changed back.

"I heard you that's what's up." Hermione frowned as the other four nodded.

"And that's never happened before." Remus said confused.

"Do you think the 'I can hear your thought's' thing isn't a part of the soul bond and is actually a part of the Lycan virus?" Hermione asked.

"It could be." Harry said, "But wouldn't we have noticed it when we first changed Remus?"

Ginny nodded. "It's maybe because this is the first time we've recognised ourselves as a wolf pack." she suggested.

"It seems logical." Dudley said, "Wild wolf packs have a way to communicate with each other though no one knows how the actually manage it. Remember Harry we done that project in primary school?"

"Oh yeah... I'd forgotten about that. That was the day I turned the teachers wig blue accidentally." he laughed. "Right we can check it out more later lets go inside."

Once everyone was inside Harry went over to check on Teddy who had been left in his playpen. The little boy was just sitting playing with his toy wolf when he saw Harry.

"Unca Har." he said, holding his arms up to be held. Harry picked him up smiling.

"Hello there Teddy." he said.

Teddy giggled and pointed at him. "Wolf! Wolf! Sh-ad-ow." he said carefully still giggling.

"Oh you want to see Shadow do you?" Teddy nodded so Harry passed him to Andy and transformed.

"Wolf! Wolf! Gramma 'ook Wolf!" he said to Andy who smiled at him as Shadow nuzzled his tummy making him giggle again.

"Teddy likes wolves then?" Amber asked amused.

"More like he's obsessed with them, I blame Harry." Andy replied and she explained about how it was Harry who bought the wolf toy for Teddy and how it became his favourite.

Petunia was in shock. "How old is Teddy?" she asked looking at the boy on his Grandmother's knee.

"Six months, he was born at the end of February so almost 7 months, why?" Dora replied.

"Only six months and he can already talk?" Dudley asked just as shocked as his mother.

"Yes. Magical children develop faster than normal children." Andy explained. "It's quite normal considering he has a little power boost with being a metamorphmagus." she added.

"What's that?" Dudley asked curiously.

"It mean's we have the ability to change the way we look by will, I'm one as well." Dora said changing her hair from the bright pink it was to bright blue, then to purple then letting it settle back into the bright pink that was her favourite.

"Cool." Amber said. "Isn't that ability really rare?"

"Yes it is. It's a random ability." Andy explained, "It's not always genetically transferred. Nymphadora just got lucky. Obviously Teddy got it from her." she added.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" Dora snapped her hair going bright red.

"When are you going to accept it's a nice name?" Andy asked her daughter.

"Never! Because it's a stupid name." she replied her hair going back to bright pink which was normal... for her. Andy just rolled her eyes.

Teddy looked at his Grandmother, "'Oopid." he said then put his attention back to Shadow who licked his hand making him giggle again. "Sh-ad-ow!" he shouted. Shadow changed back into Harry.

"That's two new words he's said already today." Harry commented.

Teddy looked around then pointed at the ground, silently asking to bet put down. Andy put him down and he crawled over to Draco and Astoria. "Unca Dray." he said lifting his arms. Draco picked him up and sat him on his knee.

"What's up Teddy?" Draco asked.

The little boy looked at Astoria, "'Dat?"

"That's your Auntie Astoria." Draco told him.

"Auny As'tia?" Teddy questioned with a smile.

"That's right Teddy." Astoria said, smiling back.

"'Dat?" Teddy continued pointing at Dudley, Petunia and Amber, who was holding little Cecelia who was still fast asleep.

"This is your Auntie Petunia, Uncle Dudley and Auntie Amber." Remus said to his son smiling.

"Auny Pet'na. Unca Dud. Auny Amb'a." Teddy said.

"That's right Teddy." Dudley grinned. "This is baby Cecelia." he said pointing at his daughter.

"Ce-cel-ia." Teddy said slowly and carefully, he then smiled when Amber nodded.

"He can now name everyone in the room." Harry said proudly. Draco put Teddy on the floor again where he crawled over to Harry. Harry picked him up and Teddy put his head on his godfathers shoulder and fell asleep. Harry carefully put him back in his playpen.

"Well he should sleep for a while." Dora said. "He's been up since 8am and its 1pm now."

"I'm surprised he stayed up this long." Molly commented.

"So am I." Remus said. "It may have been that there was people here he didn't know."

"Cecelia does that." Amber smiled. "I'm surprised she hasn't woken up yet."

"How old is she?" Minerva asked.

"Two and a bit months old." Dudley told her. "She was born on the 31st of May."

"Most babies that young are like that." Molly smiled.

"There was day's where we could put one of them down for a nap and they would sleep almost all day. Only waking up for food or for a nappy change." Arthur smirked as his children all blushed.

"You had all the luck." Lily muttered. "We couldn't get Harry to stay asleep half the time."

Harry blushed as most snickered.

"It's true though Harry, you refused to sleep through the day but you slept perfectly at night half the time." James chuckled.

"Oh goodie." Harry muttered sarcastically.

"Oh well. You were more fun when you were awake anyway." Sirius smirked.

"Your only saying that because when we visited he would be clingy with the both of us and ignore Prongs." Remus laughed as Sirius nodded and James pouted.

"That's true." Minerva smiled. "It was always Sirius that had to persuade you to play with Ron and Neville at Order meetings." she explained.

"Maybe I was curious about the people." Harry chuckled.

"Or maybe we had our own secret Order and you were trying to get some information for us." Neville suggested.

"Could have been the case." Ron agreed smirking.

Those who knew what they were talking about laughed.

"I wouldn't worry that Cecelia hasn't woken up yet." Cissy smiled. Amber nodded with a shy smile back.

"Um... I think we should continue with the memories." Harry said, "In a minute," he added, "Ron I think it may be wise if you sit as far away from Ginny as possible otherwise your going to get hexed." he whispered to Ron who nodded and moved to hide behind Hermione, "Gin please don't hex me when you come into the memories."

Ginny growled at him, "Do you have to show that?" she demanded.

"Yes. It's important later." he gulped.

"No promises that I won't hex Ron." she said, "I have a feeling he's hiding behind Hermione for a reason."

"He is." the twins said, ignoring Ron's glare.

"What did you do..." she growled but was cut off by Harry who had finished setting the memory up.

"You'll just have to wait and see." he said sitting next to her again.

"Fine." she huffed.


	31. Chapter 31

Quick note: Future chapters may have a little minor swearing in them, nothing too bad and hardly ever above teen. If anyone is offended by anything I write, feel free to PM me but know it will be ignored.

* * *

><p>Chapter 31 - Second Year (Part 2)<p>

7th, August, 1998.

"Right now for the great escape." Harry announced flicking his wand at the memory which started instantly.

**"Ron." breathed Harry, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. "Ron, how did you ****-****? What the ****-****?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair.**

"Awesome!" James and Sirius shouted excitedly.

"Awesome?" Molly hissed. "That was so dangerous. They could be seen by a Muggle or they could have crashed. They didn't even leave me a note and I was worried out of my mind."

"You need to have a little adventure in your life." Sirius said. "That could be really fun to do. Flying a car somewhere and breaking someone out of a place. And you have to do all this without magic since they are underage. Wish we would have done this."

"You're so immature." Molly snapped.

"We know." Remus smirked. "But these two would do something like that. I'd probably get dragged into it." he added as James and Sirius nodded.

**Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.**

**"All right, Harry?" asked George.**

**"What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles ****-****"**

"How did you know?" Lily asked.

"I work at the Ministry." Arthur replied.

**"It wasn't me ****-**** and how did he know?"**

**"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school ****-****"**

**"You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car.**

"Doesn't count since they didn't do that." Arthur said. "I did."

**"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with ****-****"**

**"I told you, I didn't ****-**** but it'll take too long to explain now ****-**** look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so ****-****"**

Sirius snorted. "Does he actually think that they would fly all the way there and then just leave him there when they see him locked in his room?"

"He didn't think they can get him out." Hermione replied smiling as Harry nodded.

"How do you get him out?" James asked.

"Watch." Ron said.

**"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us."**

**"But you can't magic me out either ****-****"**

**"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me."**

"Of course, they are pranksters." James smirked. "Just because they are wizards, doesn't mean they don't learn Muggle ways of breaking into or out of places."

Lily raised a brow. "And why do you say that? Do you know how to break into places using muggles ways?"

Sirius smiled. "Of course. Remus taught us."

"And how does Remus know?" Dora turned her eyes to her husband.

"My Mum's cousin was an escape artist and didn't know about magic. He taught me how to escape using Muggle ways when I was 13 because my Mum wanted me to bond with him and get to know him better." Remus explained. "It was actually pretty fun to learn. I taught James and Sirius because I thought it would be useful to know if we couldn't use magic."

"You guys better not use that knowledge for anything too bad." Lily growled.

"Of course not." the three replied nervously.

**"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.**

**"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.**

**"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."**

**Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom.**

"I thought I heard something, but I just ignored it." Petunia said. "I was lying awake." she shrugged.

**When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.**

**"Get in," Ron said.**

**"But all my Hogwarts stuff ****-**** my wand ****-**** my broomstick ****-****"**

**"Where is it?"**

**"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room ****-****"**

**"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry."**

**Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock.**

"I would have used a lock pick, but using a hairpin is good if that's all you have at the time." George said.

"And that's all we had." Fred added.

**"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."**

**There was a small click and the door swung open.**

**"So ****-**** we'll get your trunk ****-**** you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George.**

**"Watch out for the bottom stair ****-**** it creaks," Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.**

**Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.**

**At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.**

**Uncle Vernon coughed again.**

**"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push"**

**Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.**

**"Okay, let's go," George whispered.**

**"Yeah, get out of that horrible place."**

**But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"THAT RUDDY OWL!"**

"I forgot Hedwig. How could I forget her?" Harry groaned.

**"I've forgotten Hedwig!"**

**Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on ****-**** he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door ****-**** and it crashed open.**

**For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.**

"Let him go, you big buffoon." Sirius grumbled.

"I don't see why is he is trying to stop him." Lily said. "I thought he would want him gone."

"He did. I don't know why he tried to stop him." Petunia frowned.

**Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.**

**"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"**

**But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp ****-**** Harry was in the car ****-**** he'd slammed the door shut ****-**

**"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.**

"Good-bye, you gits!" Sirius cheered.

**Harry couldn't believe it ****-**** he was free. He rolled down the window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.**

They all snickered. Even Petunia and Dudley.

**"See you next summer!" Harry yelled.**

The Marauders burst out laughing.

**The Weasleys roared with laughter and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.**

**"Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."**

"Even Ron knows how to pick locks. Do you all know how?" Lily asked shocked.

"Ginny does too and Fred and George taught Harry how to. Ginny taught me how to do it too, but I don't use it much. I really don't have a need for the skill. It's just good to know." Hermione told her, the twins grinned and Ginny smirked.

"Great. My son is a delinquent." Lily grumbled.

Hermione laughed. "Harry is anything but a delinquent."

"Yeah I'm reasonably well-behaved." Harry pouted. "Most of the time." he added as an afterthought.

Lily groaned as the others chuckled.

**George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost.**

**"So ****-**** what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"**

**Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished.**

**"Very fishy," said Fred finally.**

**"Definitely dodgy****,****" agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"**

**"I don't think he could," said Harry. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."**

**He saw Fred and George look at each other.**

**"What, you think he was lying to me?" said Harry.**

**"Well," said Fred, "put it this way ****-**** house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"**

**"Yes," said Harry and Ron together, instantly.**

**"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."**

"No kidding." Draco smirked, "I think the only person who picked on you more than me at school was Severus."

"Wait. Severus? As in Severus Snape?" Petunia asked Lily.

"Yes that's the one." she replied frowning.

"He was creepy." Petunia shuddered.

"How did you know him?" Percy asked.

"Oh, he used to live down the street from us when we lived on Spinner's End." she replied.

Lily nodded. "He used to be my best friend but thing's changed." she said sadly.

"It's explained fully later Mum." Harry told her. She nodded.

**"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"**

"That's me." Draco smirked. "I hate my Father now though."

**"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry.**

**"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."**

**"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung ****-**** Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle."**

"Of course he was. He probably bought his way out of Azkaban. He's a coward who will follow anyone that he thinks will have the most power in the world. As soon as that person fails, he'll say he never meant any of it and use his money to get trust." Sirius snarled.

"That's not fair." Lily said.

"No it's not but it's true." Cissy shook her head sadly. "There was no charges against me but Lucius had to buy his way out the first time around."

**Harry had heard these rumors about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy...**

"That bad?" Dudley asked.

Draco nodded guiltily, "I just got worse as the years went on."

**"I don't know whether the Malfoy's own a house-elf..." said Harry.**

"Not one, we own 4." Cissy smiled, "And they're all treated fairly and with kindness. Without Lucius there to terrorise them they're quite happy."

**"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.**

**"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house..."**

**Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; he could just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously?**

**"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first ****-****"**

**"Who's Errol?"**

**"Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes ****-****"**

**"Who?"**

**"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front.**

**"But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him."**

"What could he need him for?" Sirius asked. "I think saving Harry is more important than whatever he needs Hermes for."

"Your right." Percy admitted, "I was just being a prat. They never told me what they needed him for either." he added glaring th his three younger brothers.

"We tried to tell you." Ron said defensively.

"Yeah. You wouldn't listen to us." Fred put in.

"You, Bill and Charlie rarely took us seriously." George added.

"I'm ashamed to admit that he's right. Me and Bill were never home and you never listened to them Perce." Charlie admitted sheepishly.

"It's true. You only started listening to me after my first year, this year. And that goes for all of you, except Ron and occasionally Fred and George." Ginny scowled at her older brothers who looked ashamed.

"We're sorry. We never realised we were doing it." Bill admitted.

**"Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room... I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge... You're driving too far west, Fred," he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.**

"He's - got - a - girlfriend." Ginny coughed. The rest of the men snickered while Percy glared at his little sister. Ginny just smiled back innocently.

**"So, does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry, guessing the answer.**

"Yeah right. He would never let them take the car. He would have gone there himself to check on Harry." Lily said.

"You got that right in one Lily." Arthur said amused. "We had considered checking it out." Molly nodded.

"We were worried that Harry wasn't replying." she said. "I mean, what could stop a 12-year-old replying to their friends?"

**"Er, no," said Ron, "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it."**

"Fat chance of that happening." James said.

"Mum's always know about those kinds of things." Remus added.

Dora looked at Remus skeptically. "You know what, Remus? I don't even want to know how you knew that. I thought you were the nice and innocent Marauder. Your proving me wrong."

Remus smirked, "I'm still more innocent than those two."

**"What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?"**

"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office." Arthur said happily. "I'm head of the department now."

**"He works in the most boring department," said Ron. "The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."**

**"The what?"**

**"It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare ****-**** Dad was working overtime for weeks."**

**"What happened?"**

**"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic ****-**** it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office ****-**** and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up ****-****"**

**"But your dad ****-**** this car ****-****"**

**Fred laughed. "Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."**

**"That's the main road," said George, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes... Just as well, it's getting light..."**

**A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east.**

**Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees.**

**"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."**

**Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.**

**"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house.**

**It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which Harry reminded himself, it probably was).**

"You actually guessed right." Arthur chuckled. "It did used to be a pig pen but my Great-Grandparent's turned it into a house." he explained. "We just added more rooms as we had more kid's."

"And it is held up by magic." Molly added.

**Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.**

**"It's not much," said Ron.**

**"It's wonderful," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.**

**They got out of the car.**

**"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, 'Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."**

"Not going to work." Regulus said in a sing-song voice.

**"Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the ****-**** at the top ****-****"**

**Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around.**

"And here comes the red-haired fiery witch!" Remus said, before blushing from the glare Molly sent him. "Sorry Molly. It's just something I picked up from Sirius when he saw Lily coming."

Lily glared at Sirius. "You said that?"

Sirius shrunk back in his seat. "Thanks Moony."

"No problem, Paddy."

**Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.**

**"Ah,"****said Fred.**

**"Oh, dear," said George.**

**Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.**

**"So," she said.**

**"Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.**

**"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.**

**"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to ****-****"**

**All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.**

"I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't cower in face of her rage." Remus said.

"Except Sirius." Hermione said. "I've seen Molly and him arguing all the time, but he's never once backed down from her when she was really mad at him."

"Sirius is insane. What do you expect?" Regulus replied.

Sirius pouted, "I'm not insane. I was just used to arguing with Lily. Sorry but Lily is way more scary when she's angry than Molly."

"I don't know if that was a complement or an insult." Lily frowned.

"It was a compliment." James assured her.

**"Beds empty! No note! Car gone ****-**** could have crashed ****-**** out of my mind with worry ****-**** did you care?**** -**** never, as long as I've lived ****-**** you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy ****-****"**

"That's because you never caught us." Bill and Charlie said together smirking.

"And I thought it was childish." Percy said with a shrug.

Molly and Arthur groaned.

"Plus we used to bribe Fred and George to take the blame." Bill said honestly.

"Yeah." the twins said. "We always agreed until they left." Fred added.

"By then the blame alway got put on us anyway." George frowned.

"Sorry boys." Arthur and Molly said while glaring at the oldest two who looked apologetic.

**"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.**

**"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job ****-****"**

**It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away.**

"I don't blame you." Draco said.

**"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast."**

**She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.**

**The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before.**

**The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late.**

"Neat." Lily said.

"I always kept that clock with me during the War." Molly smiled sadly. "I had to be sure everyone was safe."

"Are Hermione and Harry on it?" Lily asked.

Hermione nodded her head. "Yeah. She put us on since we're like family to them." she smiled at Molly.

"It rarely worked though." Molly frowned. "All the hands on the clock stayed in 'Mortal Peril' through the War."

**Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts ****-**** It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."**

**Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it."**

**"I don't blame you, dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate.**

"Thank you, Molly. He really needs a good meal." Lily said.

"No problem, dear." Molly replied. Harry blushed as the other men snickered.

**"Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really," (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) "flying an illegal car halfway across the country ****-**** anyone could have seen you ****-****"**

**She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.**

**"It was cloudy, Mum!" said Fred.**

**"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.**

**"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.**

"That softened me up a little." Molly admitted.

"And here I thought you thought we were lying." Ron scoffed.

"I could see the evidence for that one." she sighed, "You really were too skinny Harry. Not as bad as you were when we saw you at the train station before your 1st year though."

"I did try to convince Vernon to let him eat more." Petunia sighed, "He didn't listen, as always."

"Not that it mattered after my 2nd year." Harry smirked, "That diet you set for Dudley? I didn't follow it."

"Neither did I." Dudley shrugged, "I always got sweets with my pocket-money or when I was at one of my gangs houses."

"I don't think any of us followed it." Petunia laughed. "It was rather stupid."

**"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.**

**At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.**

"Ginny." Bill said chuckling.

**"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."**

"RON!" Ginny shrieked, "You didn't have to tell him that." she pulled her wand out.

"Ginny don't hex your brother indoors please." Molly said sternly.

"Fine. You got lucky this time Ron." she growled, putting her wand away again. Ron looked at his mother gratefully.

Harry smirked and whispered something to Ginny and she glared at the twins too.

"What?" Fred asked, "We didn't say anything as bad as Ron."

"Your lucky Mum doesnt let us hex each other indoors." she told her brothers, "I'm under the impression Bill, Charlie and Percy are the only ones who didn't comment on my behaviour." she growled.

"To be fair we only said something like once." George said, "Then we left it alone, it was more fun to tease Harry about the happenings of that year."

Ginny looked at Harry and he nodded in confirmation.

**"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.**

**"Blimey, I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and ****-****"**

"Not happening." Astoria said smirking.

**"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again ****-****"**

**"Oh, Mum ****-****"**

**"And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You can go up to bed, dear," she added to Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car ****-****"**

**But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming ****-****"**

"It's really dull work." Arthur said.

Sirius smirked. "Not the way we do it."

James smiled at the memory of Sirius and him de-gnoming the garden at Potter Mannor when they were twelve.

**"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject ****-****"**

"Lockhart... where do I know that name from?" Sirius asked.

"He was a Hufflepuff three years behind us." James replied. "He's a real idiot. Couldn't do anything right."

"You got that right he was bloody useless." Fred groaned.

**And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned.**

**"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden ****-****"**

**Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests.**

"That idiot wrote a book?" James scoffed. "I bet nothing in that book is true."

"No, it's all true." Hermione replied.

"But were not saying anything else." Harry grinned.

**There was a big photograph on the front of a very good-looking wizard with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.**

**"Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book..."**

**"Mum fancies him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.**

**"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink. "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart,****"**

"Everyone knows better than Lockhart." Ron muttered. "I hate that guy. Always trying to prove he knows everything and that no one knows anything, except him."

"He was so annoying." George agreed.

**"****you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."**

**Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it ****-**** there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting ****-**** but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.**

**"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron they crossed the lawn.**

**"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods..."**

**There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. "This is a gnome," he said grimly.**

**"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome.**

**It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.**

**"This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't hurt them ****- ****you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnome holes."**

**He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.**

**"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."**

**Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off ****-**** until**

**"Wow, Harry ****-**** that must've been fifty feet..."**

"That's the ticket then Harry. Let it bite you." Dudley chuckled.

**The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.**

**"See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put."**

**Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched.**

**"They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here... Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny..."**

**Just then, the front door slammed.**

**"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"**

**They hurried through the garden and back into the house.**

**Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.**

**"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned..."**

Hermione growled. "I hate him. He's a coward and a thief."

"I don't see how him being a thief is good reason to hate him." James replied. "He's really funny."

Hermione glared at him. "He stole something that Harry, Ron, and I needed and he gave it away. It was such a pain to steal back."

"And he kept stealing things from Harry, which pissed Harry off." Ron added as Harry nodded.

"I can see why you would hate him then." James replied.

**Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.**

**"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.**

**"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness..."**

**"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.**

**"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it... Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking ****-**** they'll insist they just keep losing it."**

"I can remember that happened to Vernon once." Petunia smirked, "It was a spare door key before we were married. I knew it was shrinking, I just never told him." everyone laughed.

**"Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face... But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe ****-****"**

**"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"**

"Ooooh. Arthur's in trouble." Sirius snickered.

**Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.**

**"C-cars, Molly, dear?"**

**"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly."**

Everyone started laughing at this except Molly and Arthur (out of fear of his wife).

**Mr. Weasley blinked.**

**"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if ****-**** er ****-**** he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth... There's a loophole in the law, you'll find... As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't ****-****"**

"Bet you were the one to write the law." Lily said.

"Yes, I was." Arthur admitted.

**"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.**

"I did that as well." he added, everyone laughed a little.

**"Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!"**

**"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"**

"Hey Harry, look someone who doesn't know you!" Fred shouted.

"Amazing isn't it?" Harry replied sarcastically making everyone laugh as Arthur turned red.

**He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.**

**"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about ****-****"**

**"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"**

**"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I ****-**** I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that ****-**** that was very wrong, boys ****-**** very wrong indeed..."**

Everyone broke out laughing at Arthur's antics except Minerva and Molly who just smiled slightly.

**"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom."**

**They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.**

**"Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally ****-****"**

"RON!" Ginny shouted again.

"Sorry." he squeaked hiding behind Hermione.

She got up asked, Hermione to move nicely which she did, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside. There was a few second's of silence until they heard a yelp and Ginny walked in, looking smug, with Ron behind her.

Ron had bright green skin, blue hair and a snake on his face. He also had an angry red burn the side of his neck, but that was glowing faintly blue with the advanced healing starting to work.

Everyone laughed as Ron muttered 'Traitor' to Hermione who just shrugged.

"I wasnt going to stop your own sister hexing you for a comment like that." she smirked.

**They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM.**

**Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange:****the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.**

**"Your Quidditch team?" said Harry.**

**"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."**

"The Cannon's suck." James said smirking.

"Do not!" Ron, Sirius, Charlie and Bill shouted.

"Do too." Ginny said.

"They really do suck." Regulus commented.

The Cannon's fans pouted.

"Okay tell me this. Ron who's the new manager of the Chudley Cannons?" Astoria asked, glaring at those who had said they were rubbish.

"Um... Marcus Greengrass." he replied.

"Exactly, my Dad." she said. "So I can tell you that it's the players. They do perfectly in practice but they always do horribly in an actual match." she explained.

"Wait did you say your father is Marcus Greengrass?" James asked, she nodded, "We were at school with him. He used to be the only Slytherin we got along with so he never got pranked as much as the others." he explained.

"Yeah Marcus was fun." Sirius grinned. "He used to help us prank people sometimes."

"He was a good laugh. He was the only one who stuck up for the younger kids too." Regulus added, "Well the only one who stayed neutral through the war and still stuck up for the younger ones."

**Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.**

The Golden Trio growled as did Remus and Sirius.

"What's got into you lot?" Neville asked.

"It..." Harry started.

"Will be explained later." Charlie finished for him. Harry nodded sheepishly making everyone groan.

**Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of gnomes sneaking one by one back through the Weasleys' hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, who was watching him almost nervously, as though waiting for his opinion.**

**"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning…"**

**But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."**

**Ron's ears went pink.**

"It is an awesome house." Remus grinned. "I love coming here."

"Thanks Remus." Molly replied.

"No problem." he replied.

"That's the end of the memory." Harry said, "Gin are you going to fix Ron now?" he asked.

Ginny pretended to think for minute. "No." she said finally, "He can suffer."

Ron pouted then he had an idea, he stood up and changed into Paws. The hexes disappeared so he changed back.

"Hah!" he stuck his tongue out at a shocked Ginny.

"How did you get rid of the hexes?" she asked.

Ron shrugged, "I didn't know if it would work or not but it did." he explained.

"Well that's another thing you know about being a Lycan now. Any hexes dissapear when you change." Sirius smiled, "It does that with the Animagus transformation too." he added.

"The Ani-what?" Petunia asked.

"Animagus." James said.

"It's the ability to change into an animal at will." Minerva explained. "I can change into a tabby cat." she added.

"I can change into a dog as you saw earlier." Sirius commented.

"And I can change into a stag." James said.

"I've heard of it." Amber said, "But I don't know a lot about it." she admitted checking on Cecelia who was squirming about in her sleep. "Dudley can you go into Cecelia's bag and get her bottle. I think she's waking up." she added as Cecelia's little eyelids fluttered open then closed.

"Sure." Dudley went into the bag and pulled out a bottle of milk. He handed it to Amber.

"It's still hot." Amber said before Dudley asked, "Not too hot but just enough so that she will drink it when she wakes up properly."

"It felt cold when I handed it to you." Dudley frowned taking the bottle back. "And now it's warm. How did that happen?" he asked.

"Hmm... Magic?" his wife replied cheekily.

"Oh ha ha."

"I sent a warming charm through it." she explained.

"Wandlessly?" Percy asked, she nodded.

"I don't need a wand for a lot of things." she told them. "I only need one for dueling and high level spells."

"Really?" Remus asked.

"Yes." she replied lifting her free hand. "Lumos." a ball of light appeared in her hand. "Nox." it went out.

"Cool. I can do that with fire." James said demonstrating, "And Harry will once his power level has settled. He had a power block on but I removed it a few days ago." he explained.

Amber nodded smiling as Cecelia started crying. Dudley handed the bottle back to Amber who started feeding Cecelia who fell silent.

"She was hungry then." Dudley chuckled.

"Apparently. I think we can take a break from the memories today." Harry said, "It's already 6pm." he added. "And there's a few things I'd like to talk about." they all nodded as Harry stood up and left the room.

* * *

><p>Review please xx<p> 


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 - The Power Within.

7th, August, 1998. 5.00pm.

When Harry left the room everyone exchanged confused look's.

"Ron, Hermione, Ginny can you come through please?" Harry called. The three shrugged and went through.

"I wonder what that was about." Dora asked.

Remus frowned. "Harry's set up privacy wards I can't hear anything." he said.

"The Golden Trio are usually extremely secretive." Luna said. "But they usually don't involve Ginny in their discussions unless it's important and she needs to be a part of it."

Neville nodded. "They actually managed to keep things a secret at school. There were always rumors of course but no one who wasn't close to them ever got completely honest answers out of them half the time." he explained. "You had to know them and all of them had to trust you before they would tell you anything."

"They've been like that since their second year." Luna added thoughtfully.

"I'm guessing that was when everyone found out Harry's a Parseltounge?" Dora asked.

Luna nodded, "I think so."

"It was before that actually Luna." Neville said, "It was at the start of the year. I've asked them and they said they don't even remember how they became so secretive." he explained frowning.

"We were like that too but we never had a lot to hide." James said, "The biggest was about Remus."

Remus nodded. "The fact that I was a student that was a werewolf couldn't get out. I would have been killed by the Ministry or targeted by the Death Eaters." he shuddered. "I had to deal with the prejudices once I had left but still..." he trailed off.

"Remus. You know Albus would never have let the Ministry kill you." Minerva frowned. "He would argue and probably win." she added.

"He couldn't have stopped the prejudices though." he pointed out. "The Death Eaters targeted me once I left anyway."

"Remus stop arguing." Sirius advised.

"Death Eaters targeted everyone who opposed them and there are prejudices everywhere." James put in.

"Or more specifically anyone Voldemort didn't like." Regulus added.

"See? Theres no point sulking about it." Neville said. "They targeted my parents because they were Aurors." he said.

"Actually they didn't." Lily said, "They were targeted because of the same Prophecy that we were targeted for." she explained.

Neville frowned as Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione walked back in.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Oh I was telling Neville that his parents were targeted by Death Eaters because of the Prophesy that we were targeted for." Lily explained.

"Ah... That..." Harry said shifting uncomfortably. "Do you think I should just tell them what it says?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"It's up to you mate." Ron shrugged.

"There is quite a while before you find out what it says." Hermione said. "We should just wait."

"When do you find out what it says?" Luna asked curiously.

"At the end of my 5th year, the same night Sirius went through that bloody curtain." Harry said sadly.

"Figures..." Sirius muttered, "I had been telling Dumbledore to tell you since the end of your fourth year." he explained. "He had me under an oath not to tell you streight out."

"He said he didn't tell me because he cared too much." Harry frowned, "He also admitted that he was an old man who mad mistakes."

"He did tell me that you were like a Grandson to him." Minerva smiled, "It was one night not so long after the events of your fourth year." she added. "I think you were the only student that he allowed to get close to him."

Harry smiled.

"It's true mate." Ron said, "Like me and 'Mione have told you before, you were the closest to him."

"That's quite hard to do too." Remus added, "He almost never let anyone get too close to him emotionally. I don't know why though." he frowned.

"We do. We found out while we were in hiding." Hermione explained.

"You know it seems you three know more about everything than anyone else in the wizarding world." Dora commented.

"Well when you have a mad man trying to kill you, you have to be well informed." Harry smirked. "Some of the stuff we know we found out by accident the rest is just information we have gained gradually." he added.

"Yeah. Most of the time we were in the wrong place at the right time." Ron grinned.

"It was very interesting to say the least." Hermione put in.

"Anyway what were you four talking about?" Bill asked.

"Oh we were talking about stuff that you don't need to know about." Ginny said smiling cheekily, "Yet, that is." Bill rolled his eyes.

"There is something I was going to ask though." Harry said. "Dad when will my power level settle?" he asked.

"Well you will know because it makes you feel dizzy for a minute or two, probably less for you as you have the advanced healing, but it should be between the next 10 minutes and the next hour." James replied checking his watch. Harry nodded.

"Minerva did you ask Madame Pomfrey about my power level?" Hermione asked.

Minerva nodded. "Your's is up at 750." she said, Hermione nodded, "By the way Molly, Ron's and Ginny's have went up dramatically again."

"Really?" Molly asked shocked. Minerva nodded.

"What are ours at now?" Ron asked.

"Ron yours is at 750, the same as Hermione, and Ginny your's is at 850." Minerva told them.

"Wow." Ginny said shocked, "And that's only been a few months hasn't it?"

"Yes." Arthur replied in shock.

"And there both still growing." Minerva told them "Quite rapidly according to Poppy."

"Hold on." Arthur got up and ran upstairs, he returned a few minutes later with a big brown leather book. He sat down again and flipped through it, "Hmm, it has been growing a lot. Poppy has it right, it's going quite quickly, up by 60 since July for Ginny." he mused, "Hmm... up by 70 since March last year for Ron."

"Does it say the reason?" Molly asked.

"Magical exhaustion on three occasions for Ron and an unknown source for Ginny." he frowned, he took his wand out and banished it back upstairs, "We'll have a better look later. It's not updated it's self since last month."

"Magical exhaustion?" Astoria asked.

"When someone uses extremely high level spells or something big affects them." Remus explained, "Basically it's like elastic, you can stretch it and it'll grow then shrink back to it's original size but after a certain amount of time the elastic will stop going back to the same size and will get slightly bigger."

"That's a good way to put it." Andy nodded, "I tried explaining it to a trainee healer I was working with before I retired, he'd never heard of it and he got confused."

"You confused me too." Dora grumbled, "Using way too many medical terms for me to keep up with."

"It's easy for me to forget not everyone understands them." Andy shrugged, "I was a healer for about 25 years."

Harry suddenly put a hand on his head and swayed a little bit.

"Are you alright Harry?" Andy asked concerned.

"Dizzy." he replied, "Very dizzy."

"That'll be your power settling then." James chuckled as Harry shook his head like a dog... wolf.

"Okay it's gone now." Harry said hesitantly. "Yup, definitely gone."

"Right then, stay still and I can check your new level." Andy said going over to stand next to him. He just nodded and sat still. "Da mihi virtutem autem." (Show me the Power now.) she murmured tapping Harry's head with her wand. A number appeared on Harry's right hand wrist.

"What does it say?" James asked eagerly.

Andy had paled slightly when she saw the number and Harry was sitting in shock.

"1000." he whispered as the number faded. Now the room was shocked. The Floo suddenly flared up and the head of Poppy Pomfrey appeared.

"Hello everyone. Are you there Harry?" Poppy asked.

"Right here Madame Pomfrey, what is it?" he replied.

"I was just checking the book of power levels and I found something shocking." the nurse said, "Your power level has just reached 1000." she frowned.

"We know, I just checked it." Andy told her.

"And Ginny yours has had a dramatic change again it went up by 100 this morning so it's now at 950. Ronald and Hermione both yours have as well your both at 860." Poppy informed them, "All four of you will either have to go to St. Mungos for a check up or come in here at one point today to make sure your magic is stable."

"What do you mean 'stable'?" Hermione asked.

"Sometimes when a person has a dramatic change in their power level it can be... dangerous or risky." Poppy explained. "Especially because it can cause random bursts of magic."

"Why don't you come through Poppy." Molly offered.

Poppy nodded, "Thank you. I just need to grab a few things then I'll come through." she smiled as her head disappeared from the fire.

"Um... does she know we're back?" Lily asked.

Minerva nodded. "I told her and Albus's portrait but no one else knows except those you know about." she explained, "I though it may have been useful to have a nurse that knows before your return was announced, just in case someone got hurt." she added.

Harry nodded. "I should have thought of that before." he smiled as Poppy came through the floo.

"Hello everyone." she smiled. "It's nice to see you all again." she added to the returnees who smiled.

"Hello Madame Pomfrey." James smirked. "Miss us?"

"Of course I have. The Marauders were always my most common patients." she replied smirking.

"I think the better word is visitors for those two." Remus grinned.

"True." Poppy admitted. "They were usually in to visit you."

"Do you remember me?" Regulus asked.

"Regulus Black. You were in the Hospital Wing after almost every Quidditch match." she said, "Either visiting your brother or with your own injuries."

Everyone chuckled as Regulus went red at the reminder of his injuries.

"Anyway, you said you had to check if our magic is stable?" Ron asked.

"Yes. I think I'll start with Harry. You are at the most risk of being unstable. There hasn't been anyone recorded with a natural power level of 1000 since Merlin himself." she explained, "Please come over here."

Harry nodded and stood up from his seat.

"Oh my. You've grown quite a bit haven't you." she exclaimed.

"Yeah it's the whole being a Lycan thing. Remus, Ginny, Ron and Hermione are taller too. So is my Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley." Harry told her pointing at Petunia and Dudley who nodded, he quickly introduced Amber and Cecelia too.

Poppy nodded in understanding. "Right stand still while I run a few diagnostic tests." she said. "Oh and drink this." she added pulling out a vial with some bright purple potion in it. "It basically makes the magical signature of a person stand out."

"If it helps Harry's is red and gold." Luna put in.

James frowned, "How did you know that?"

"I can see it." she replied, "I always have been able to see things others can't."

"Really? What house has you family been in the most?" Remus asked.

"Ravenclaw, on both sides." she said, "Why?"

"Oh I see what's happened." James grinned, "You're a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw. You missed my explanation earlier but Potter's are descendant's of Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"I know. I checked my family tree." Luna smiled, "It said the latest descendant on my fathers side that could be traced was a great grand-daughter of Ravenclaw called Carol she married a man with the second name Lovegood and the line continued from there." she explained.

"That's what happened with the Potter's. Most of our history is lost but two lines mix first I think it was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff then a few years later it got mixed with Ravenclaw's line. As far as I know neither line has mixed with Slytherin." James explained. Luna nodded in understanding. Everyone's attention focused on Harry again as he drunk the potion.

Poppy started waving her wand up and down Harry's body as traces of red and gold appeared on his skin.

"It seems stable." Poppy commented as the colours faded again. She waved her wand again and Harry was surrounded by a faint blue light. "This shows magic traces." she explained.

"We know, we saw it done to Draco." Hermione said.

Harry had multiple colours all over his body. A light green was centered around his left elbow and a jet black surrounded his forehead and chest. He had a bright red surrounding his whole head. He also had a darker green covering the back of his left hand as well as violet spots on multiple parts all over his body and bright blue, gold and silver danced and flashed all over him.

"Oh my." Lily gasped, shocked. "You have been injured a lot."

"You can say that again." Poppy sighed. "I treated most of the injuries. It looks the same as when I checked it at the end of May... with the only change being the blue, gold and silver." she frowned.

"That will be the Lycan virus. We have advanced healing that will be the blue." Ginny said taking her wand out and creating a shallow gash on her hand to show Poppy, a blue light appeared and the cut healed almost instantly, it was the same blue as the one on Harry. "The silver will be the virus it's self. And the gold will be our soul bond."

"Your probably right. That's you done Harry. Ginny you next." Harry sat down as Ginny took his place. Poppy handed heer the potion, which she drank, and started waving her wand, Ginny's magic showed as pink and red. "Your stable as well. I'm going to check the magic traces." Poppy waved her wand again.

Ginny was surrounded in the pale blue light, she had less injuries than Harry. She had light green around her ankle, chest and wrist, yellow on her back and arms and bright red around her head as well as the violet spots that Harry had, on the back of her left hand was a faded version of the dark green Harry had. Like Harry she had bright blue, gold and silver dancing and flashing around her whole body.

"That's new." Poppy said pointing to the green on her wrist. "When did you break it?"

"Umm... It would have been last year around about October."

"Why didn't you come to me?"

"I healed it." Astoria spoke up before Ginny could. "My Mum taught me and my sister how to heal the most common injuries. She didn't like sending us off to school when there was a war on without knowing how to either help others or how to fix ourselves." she explained to those who didn't know.

Poppy nodded, "I know, that's why I asked for your help in the hospital wing." she smiled, "I know you had the skills otherwise I wouldn't have allowed you to help heal anything that required a wand." she smirked, "That's you done then Ginny. Hermione you next." Hermione took Ginny's place and Poppy repeated the process. Hermione's magic was red and pale blue. When Poppy checked the magic traces Hermione had almost as many injuries as Harry but it was still less.

She had a long orange stripe going across her chest and, like Harry, violet spots all over her body. She also had red, green and light brown over her back head and legs. She had the bright blue, gold and silver that Harry and Ginny had flashing around her body.

"Hmm... maybe the gold wasn't our soul bond then." Harry commented.

"It's probably the reason we could hear the conversation between Harry and Ginny earlier when they were communicating silently." Remus suggested. "Some sort of pack bond."

"It could be both." Hermione said, "Ginny try to send a message silently to Harry focusing on not letting anyone else hear it."

"Okay." she said, _Harry do you think Hermione's right?_

_Yes I do, _he replied amused, _when is she ever wrong?_

"I never heard anything." Hermione said, "Did any of you?" the other Lycan's shook their head's in the negative. "Right one of you try to send me a message and we can see if the gold colour reacts." Ron nodded.

"I'll try it." he said aloud. _'Mione your probably right, _he sent, focusing on only her hearing him.

The gold on Hermione shone a bit brighter as Ron's thought's reached her.

"I didn't hear anything but the gold did react." Ginny said, "Which means your right, it must be both the soul bond and some sort of pack bond."

"Yeah we never heard anything either." Dudley said pointing at his mother and himself.

"Okay that's you done Hermione." Poppy smiled, "How many of you are actually Lycan's?" she asked.

"Well... Ginny and I changed, Remus, Dudley, Aunt Petunia, Ron and Hermione." Harry said. "So 8 of us." he said.

"You've been busy then." Poppy said amused, "Right Ron you next." when Ron took Hermione's place she repeated the process again. Ron's magic was the same colour as Harry's but his gold was almost yellow and the red was brighter, Poppy then checked his magic traces.

Ron had the least injuries of the ones who had been checked. He had a reddish-pink over his whole body with patches of green on his leg, he had violet spots all over his body like the others and dark grey twisting up both his arms criss-cross style. He too had the bright blue, gold and silver dancing and flashing all over his body.

"Funny how you ended up with less injuries than the rest." Poppy commented, Harry, Ginny and Hermione blushed. "Everything checks out okay with the four of you though, your all stable and healthy." she smiled.

"That's good then." James smirked. "Though it is pretty amazing that Harry's power level is 1000 though."

"Yeah that makes you the most powerful wizard in the world." Dora nodded.

Harry groaned, "Not one word of this is getting out to the papers. I get enough attention as it is." he added. "I will tell Kingsley but no reporters are hearing about it. Ever."

"Fair enough." George said, "I don't think you could handle anymore publicity."

"But it could come in handy if people knew." Hermione pointed out, "Think about it Harry, there's a lot of people who still want you dead, all the ex-Death Eaters for a start. They wouldn't dare try to attack you if they knew how powerful you were and they wouldn't attack anyone close to you out of fear." she explained, "You don't have to tell them it's 1000 just like 950 or something." she added, "They'd still be scared."

"Okay I'll think on it because that's actually a good point Hermione." Harry admitted.

"Remus would it be okay If I check the magic traces on you? As you used to be a werewolf it would be good to know if it showed up different." Poppy asked. Remus nodded and went to stand next to her.

She waved her wand over him. He had indigo gashes across his whole body where he used to have scars, green across most of his joints and different colours spotted across his body. He had the same colours the other Lycan's had dancing and flashing about, but his were tinged with lime green.

"Well that's interesting." he commented, looking down at his torso.

"It seems if you change a werewolf into a Lycan it's tinged with lime green." Poppy smiled.

"You can check me if you want." Dudley offered.

"He and Petunia were werewolves too." Lily explained. Poppy nodded and checked Dudley getting the same results as Remus except Dudley never had any other colours.

"Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asked suddenly, "What do you know about latent magic?"

"Latent magic? Hmm... I know it's rare but it dose happen. Sometimes, according to the available records, a persons magical core can lie dormant in their bodies, they say that half the time if a Muggle has a magical sibling they have magic that is dormant but can be unlocked if that person has a big enough scare and the Muggle becomes magical... Why do you ask?" she asked suspiciously.

"Dudley show her what you tried earlier." Harry said handing Dudley his wand. Dudley waved it and the same sparks as earlier that day danced around the room. "That's why I asked." he said taking his wand back. Dudley sat down again.

"Oh." Poppy said shocked.

"It happened with me as well." Petunia said. Harry nodded confirming it. Ginny offered her wand to Petunia who took hesitantly it and waved it around making sparks come out of it before handing it back.

"Well that's a shock." Lily whispered.

"Oop's, we forgot to tell you earlier." Harry muttered.

"We'll need to get you two some training." Minerva said. "It's dangerous to have you not know how to control the magic you now have." she explained. The two nodded in understanding. "I could probably sort something out with the other teachers at the school for before the student's return in September." she added thoughtfully.

"We could help as well." Bill added, "Between everyone in the room you could learn quite fast, at least two years until your fully trained."

"Compared to the seven years most people go through." Charlie added.

Minerva nodded, "It takes longer in a class full of students because there are so many of them, with you two it should be faster because you will both get some one on one time with the teacher." she explained.

"But first you need to get wands and some supplies but we can deal with that when this lot have been announced alive again." Ron smirked pointing at the returnees.

"That would be good." Petunia nodded.

"Well now that's sorted I'm going to head back to the castle. Goodbye everyone." Poppy said waving as she dissapeared into the Floo.

"Im going to guess that's what you meant by wizards can travel by fire, Harry?" Dudley asked.

"Ah so you did hear me then." Harry replied, Dudley nodded. "Well yes that's what I meant. It's called Floo travel." he added. "You'll find out how it works soon. I found out while I was here before my second year."

"Yes and you ended up in the wrong place." Ron snickered. Harry glared at him.

"He ended up in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley." George smirked.

"In my defence it was the first time I had traveled by Floo." Harry said defensively.

"That you could remember you mean." James added, "We used to take you to the order meetings by Floo, same with apperation." Lily nodded in confirmation.

"True." Molly sighed, "We were all worried. I think either myself or Arthur should have taken you." she added.

"That would have been best." Arthur admitted.

"Oh well it's done now." Harry shrugged, "I wasn't hurt and Hagrid found me."

"Thank Merlin for that. I had wondered how you ended up with Hagrid." Hermione grinned. "You got lost."

"And you are never going to let me forget that are you?" Harry asked groaning.

"Nope." Ginny smiled, "They wont."

"Maybe mate." Ron admitted, "There's a few parts of the past I'd rather forget..."

"So would I." Hermione added.

"We might just be nice and only remind you of it when your being a prat." Ron grinned.

"Fair enough and I'll just remember to return the favour." Harry smirked, "I saw a lot more than you think I did. Like in... um third year." he looked at Hermione, who blushed, "And how about sixth year?" Ron was the one who went red this time as Harry looked at him.

"You wouldn't." they both said.

"I might."

"I'll help." Ginny put in. "Just because I'm younger than you three doesn't mean I didn't know what was going on with you most of the time."

"Your evil you know that?" Ron asked his sister.

"It could be worse Ron." Harry told him. "She could have the information that I have."

Both Ron and Hermione groaned.

"Brilliant." Hermione sighed. "Anyway Harry didn't you want to ask something else?"

"Um... nope I don't think so." he replied.

"We do, however, have a warning." Ron added. "Everyone in this room will get embarrassed throughout our 7 years at school."

"And we mean everybody." Hermione smirked.

"Obviously that includes ourselves though." Harry added. "Mostly us as some of the things you will see over the course of the memories... Lets just say no one else knows about. Kind of like in our first year no one knew exactly what happened when we went down that trapdoor."

"But now a room full of people know." Ron continued.

"And we feel it's time that everyone know's exactly how we found that information and what we did with it." Hermione finished.

"Well there is a lot you three did that we've heard rumors about." Charlie commented.

"And there's probably more we never heard about, knowing you." Minerva said.

"Your right about that one. An example is that no one knows what really happened when we were in hiding, people only know the edited public version or bits of information we've mentioned since re-joining everyone." Harry told them.

"No one knows where we went..." Hermione added.

"What we were looking for..." Ron trailed off.

"Or what it cost us to finish our task." Harry finished. "It's really only us, Ginny, Minerva and Kingsley who know what we were looking for. And Ginny doesnt know exactly what they are I think." Ginny nodded confirmation of this fact.

"That's true." Minerva nodded.

"Where did you go?" Dora asked curiously.

"That would be telling." the Trio replied as one.

"Which means they aren't going to tell us." Fred groaned.

"There's no point asking." Neville said smirking. "As I said earlier these three can keep anything a secret." the Trio blushed.

"We have asked before." Luna added. "They just change the subject."

"Oop's." Harry chuckled.

"Most of the time even we don't notice we're doing it." Hermione grinned sheepishly.

"Well being secretive isn't always a bad thing." Regulus told them.

"It does come in handy." Remus added.

"True." the other two Marauders and the twins said.

"Plus it's fun when people are determined to find out what you know." Draco smirked.

"Why don't we have dinner?" Molly asked after a short but comfortable silence.

They all nodded and went through to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 - The P.C.D's.

7th, August, 1998.

After dinner everyone went back into the living room. They were just talking about nothing in particular when the owl Dudley had given Harry swooped in and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Oh hello." Harry said, "I had wondered where you went."

The owl hooted happily as he rubbed his head against Harry's cheek. Harry reached up and stroked his feathers.

"So what did you call him Harry?" Dudley asked smiling.

"He's not got a name yet." he admitted, "I've been thinking about it but I can't find one that doesn't sound ridiculous." the owl hooted and flew over to Ginny, perching on her shoulder.

"He looks like a... 'Snow' to me." Ginny said.

"Snow the snowy owl." Harry grinned, "Why not. I'll call him Snow then." the owl hooted happily and flew back to Harry.

"I think he likes it." James commented. "Snow c'mere." the owl immediately flew to him and landed on his outstretched arm. "Yup, he wouldn't answer if he didn't like it. All owls are like that they won't answer to a name they don't like."

"Which means Pig likes his name." Ginny told Ron, who pouted.

"Who's Pig?" Lily asked.

"My owl. Ginny named him." Ron muttered, as the owl in question fluttered in and started flying around in circles energetically, "Pig calm down." he said as Snow hooted loudly and looked at Pig with a curious air. Pig flew down and landed beside Snow.

"He's always like that so there's no point telling him to calm down Ickle Ronnikins." George said snickering.

"Shut up!" Ron snapped, "And stop calling me that!" the two owl's decided to fly out the room at that point.

"Well I suppose we can't really call you little anymore anyway." Fred grinned, "So Ronnikins it is then."

"Fred, George, quit picking on Ron." Bill sighed.

"Okay William." they grinned.

"Bill I would have thought you had learned that we can't control those two." Charlie shook his head amusedly.

"Yeah every time we tried it when they were younger they would just put their attention on us." Percy nodded.

"Charles, William, Percy, we are officially offended that you think we cannot behave." George sniffed.

"We didn't say that." Charlie said quickly.

"You insinuated it." Fred huffed. "We will have you know that we can behave..."

"Prove it." Bill smirked. "I dare you."

Fred and George looked at each other and started flashing their hands in various patterns. "For how long?" Fred asked.

"Until midnight. It's 6.30 now." Charlie grinned.

The twins looked at each other again, "How about this. Both of us will behave if it's only for 2 hours. An hour each." George offered finally. Fred moved his hand making a loose fist then released it before touching his thumb to his little finger. "Scratch that until tomorrow after breakfast."

Everyone looked shocked.

"Can you two actually behave that long?" Arthur asked.

"We've never seen you two behave for more than an hour." Molly added.

"Of course we can." they grinned.

"Well it's possible." Lily commented, "These two," she jerked her head at James and Sirius, "have proved that they can behave."

"True." Remus chuckled, "That was funny to see."

"Moony you're forgetting something." James mock-scolded. "You used to encourage us to get in trouble."

"Is that true Remus?" Dora asked curiously.

"Yes." he admitted, blushing, "Whenever they used to annoy me I'd give them ideas to get into trouble."

Everyone chuckled as James and Sirius grinned triumphantly.

"Anyway. If they can behave anyone can." Lily smiled at the twins.

"Thank you for believing that we can do it." Fred grinned.

"You know what we will behave too." James decided, Sirius nodded.

"Okay then you four have to behave until after breakfast tomorrow." Percy smirked.

"This should be fun to see." Harry smirked.

"We are going to ask for a chance to prepare first though." George said. "We need at least half an hour, so we will behave from 7pm to about 9am."

"It will help us if we have a laugh before we start." Fred explained.

"Fair enough." Charlie said.

Fred and George left the room and went upstairs.

"How many people believe they can behave?" Ron asked. "Raise you hand if you think they can do it."

Remus, Dora, Lily, Ginny, Hermione, Cissy, Draco, Astoria, Andy, Fleur, Neville and Luna raised their hands.

"They're determined." Ginny said. "Which means they'll stop at nothing to behave." she reasoned.

"Yeah you never dare a troublemaker to do something." Cissy added.

"You used to play that game with me when we were kids." Sirius smirked.

"Yes and like the idiot you are you managed to do everything we dared to you." Andy laughed. "Regulus you were almost the same. You refused to do anything dangerous though."

"Oh well." he shrugged, "Just shows I'm smarter than Sirius here." he smirked.

"You're not smarter than me." Sirius pouted.

"Are too!" he shot back.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Boy's!" Andy snapped, "Cut it out. Just go with your both as smart as each other."

"Deal." the two brothers said shaking each others hands. Everyone laughed.

Regulus's sleeve was pulled up when he moved his hand, he had used his left arm and the Dark Mark was exposed momentarily before he hurried to pull his sleeve down again, but it was no use everybody had seen it.

"What's that?" Dudley asked.

"The Dark Mark." Regulus sighed, "I regret taking it." he added, rubbing where it was.

"It's Voldemort's mark." Harry explained. "But there is proof that Regulus wanted out of the Death Eaters before he died." Regulus nodded.

"He's not the only one who regret's taking it. I'm marked too unfortunately." Draco added. He pulled up his left sleeve to show Dudley, Amber and Petunia the black mark on his forearm.

"We've been trying to find a way to remove it without physically removing the skin off the arm." Andy explained, "But no-one knows the incantation that casts it onto skin, so it's harder to remove."

"And I really don't fancy only having one arm." Draco chuckled pulling his sleeve back down. "I just hope we can find a way to remove it before the wedding." he added to Astoria who nodded.

"I don't mind as long as our child never know's you have it." she replied, putting her head on his shoulder and one hand on her still flat stomach. "I don't want our child to hate you for it." she added.

"I don't want that either, but I suppose there are still concealment charms." he sighed, "Just in case we can't find a way to get rid of the damn thing." he added glaring at his arm.

Just then Fred and George came back downstairs and sat down with streight faces.

"You two okay?" Percy asked worriedly.

"Yes why?" George asked pleasantly.

"Just checking. You look weird when you're not smiling."

"You really do." Ron agreed.

"Well we promised we would behave so we're behaving." Fred pointed out. "George do you want to show them or shall I?"

"We can both do it." George decided.

"Show us what?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"We have been working on something the past few nights and we completed them last night, we were going to wait until Christmas but we felt that they could be useful before then." Fred explained, "It's nothing bad or dangerous." he added.

"It's part of our protection/communication range although these aren't going to be getting sold until February or March." George explained taking two boxes that had been shrunk out of his pocket and handing one to Fred who enlarged it while he did the other. They both opened the boxes and pulled out what looked like little rectangular golden cigarette lighters.

"What are they?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"P.C.D's." they replied together.

"And that stands for..." Minerva trailed off.

"It means: Portable Communication Devices." Fred explained, "We've had the idea for ages after we saw some Muggles talking into these thingies which we have forgotten the name of..."

"Mobile phones?" Hermione suggested.

"That's it, thank you Hermione." George smiled pleasantly.

"Mobile phones, which apparently allow Muggles to talk to each other while not at home or near a fellyfone..." Fred trailed off, frowning, "That's not right either."

"I think you mean telephone." Lily said.

"Thank you, I knew it was something like that." Fred smiled. "Anyway these are basically like portable Floo's only it's not as big as a fireplace and you can fit it in your pocket."

"Brilliant if you're in a hurry or if you have it with you and your trapped somewhere." George added, "They're dead easy to use too. All you have to do is flick it open," he pointed to a catch near the top of it where there was a lid on a hinge. "say the name of the person or place your trying to contact and that's it."

"Well that's what the basic models are. We're working on the elite ones. These are gold edition, we have the silver edition upstairs, they're a little bigger and heavier and can only contact other P.C.D's and the bronze editions can only contact fireplaces." Fred explained.

"Your sure they wont explode?" Ginny asked.

"Positive." they replied.

"That's why it's took so long to have these ones finished, we were making sure they were safe, which they are." George told them all before handing one to Ginny. "See for yourself." he added.

Ginny looked at it closely and shook it a little, nothing happened, then she opened it and a green flame appeared.

"Say 'The Burrow' Ginny." Fred suggested.

Ginny nodded, "The Burrow." as soon as she had said it the fireplace flared to life with the green flames of a Floo call. "Cool." she grinned when it was echoed by the fire. She closed it again and tried to hand it back but George shook his head.

"Keep it, we have one here for everyone." he explained. The twins stood and handed one to everyone, even Minerva who looked shocked.

"You always were our favourite teacher." Fred told her smiling, "We may not have shown it often but you were the first teacher who gained our respect and trust, and apart from Dumbledore you were the first one who believed in us when we told you our idea of a joke shop. So this is a little thank you for believing in us."

Minerva beamed at the twins, "Thank you boy's." she said.

The twins just smiled back. When everyone had one, even Amber, Dudley and Petunia, George spoke up again.

"Well to start with you will need to programme them to your name. To do that all you have to do is open them say 'Owner' then your name so mine would be Owner: Fred Weasley." everyone nodded and did as Fred said.

"Right that's them keyed to you." George smiled. "To reach someone on another P.C.D just say their name." he added.

"That's actually quite clever." Molly said, "And convenient too."

"Look at the bottom." Fred smirked.

Everyone did and there on the bottom were little personalised name plates.

"Wow. These must have taken you ages to do." Harry said looking at his own.

"Well I had already had them made last month, Fred helped with the name plates and design." George explained, "It took about 2 months to make them and 4 hours to put the names on."

"Oh George you're forgetting the other part." Fred smirked, George frowned in thought then smiled.

"Everyone look at the side of them, there's a little panel, open it." everyone nodded there was a little pin. "Put your finger just below the pin and push the pin up then quickly remove your finger." everyone looked confused but did. What happened next shocked everyone, the panels snapped closed and the P.C.D's glowed bright red before it faded leaving a drawing engraved into the metal, a different picture for everyone.

Harry had an engraving of Shadow, Ginny had Misty, Hermione had Smokey, Ron had Paws, Neville had a wolf as did Luna, Draco and Astoria both had wolves with white outlines, Cissy had a white tiger, Andy had a black panther, Remus had Moony and Dora had a lion, Regulus had a german shepherd dog, Sirius had Padfoot, Minerva had a tabby cat like her Animagus, James had Prongs, Lily had a Horse with stripes, Petunia had Celena, Dudley had Falcon, Amber had a collie dog, Bill had a wolf, so did Fleur, Charlie had a alaskan husky dog, Percy had a eagle owl, Arthur had a panda and Molly had a bear. The twins showed theirs and they both had identical foxes outlined in red.

"It's either your animal form or what you would be as an animal." George explained.

"We found the charm that reveals someones Animagus form and altered it." Fred added, "We put it on the P.C.D's so it would create an engraving of your inner animal."

"That's amazing." Remus praised looking at the carving of Moony. "They're quite detailed too."

"Is it just me or are most of the carvings canines?" Neville asked.

"No it's not just you." Luna smiled, "There is a lot of canines."

"Canines are supposed to be loyal and I think that applies to everyone here." Draco commented making everyone nod.

"It applies to big cats and owls too." Hermione smirked.

"Oh good." Cissy grinned.

"I'm guessing yours is a big cat then?" Sirius asked, craning his neck to have a look.

"I have one too." Andy grinned.

"Oh no." Sirius frowned.

"What is it Paddy?" James asked.

"If those two ever become Animagi like us, it's going to be even harder gor me to control the dog side of me." he explained.

"We should try it just to annoy him." Cissy said in a very audible whisper to Andy, who nodded.

"Oh relax. Padfoot would probably be fine around big cats." Remus said.

"Easy for you to say." Sirius muttered back.

"You got along fine with Crookshanks." Hermione pointed out. The cat in question wandered into the room at that moment and jumped up onto Sirius's knees, purring.

"True enough." Sirius admitted petting the cat on the head making him purr louder.

"You know I'd never thought I'd see the day Sirius actually liked a cat." James commented.

"Unbelievable isn't it." Remus chuckled.

"Well as I told these three," Sirius nodded towards the Trio, "He's the smartest of his kind I've ever met."

"That's because he's actually part Kneezle." Hermione said, "I found out when I took him to Hagrid's for a visit."

"Hagrid would know." Minerva nodded. "He's very good with animals and can tell if they have mixed blood. Like Crookshanks is part Kneezle." she added.

There was a short pause before Astoria asked a question.

"Fred, George? What was that you were doing with your hands earlier? It looked like sign language." she asked.

"That's because it is." George said, "We invented it so we could communicate without speaking."

"Normally no one notices." Fred added. "There's just some things you can't communicate silently without movement. Like debating or deciding something."

_What they don't know is I know some of it, _Ginny sent silently to the other Lycan's who, hurriedly hid their smiles.

_I picked up some as well,_ Ron added, _If you watch their faces you can usually guess,_ he smirked.

"How long did it take you to do that? Invent it I mean." Petunia asked. The twins looked at each other.

"Um... I think it was about a month and a half." Fred said frowning.

"Nah more like two or three months." George told him, Fred started counting on his fingers.

"It was three month's. We started making it in July and we finished before school went back it was just before our second year." Fred nodded.

"It only took you three month's?" Amber asked. "That's quite fast."

"It helps that we're twins and that we were born identical." George explained. "We were exactly the same until my ear got cursed off."

"Yes, it was impossible to tell them apart. Even for me and Arthur." Molly sighed.

"That's because you don't know how to, no one does and we're not telling." Fred smiled, "Just incase we do find a way of making us identical again without cutting my ear off." he added.

"I've told you before I refuse to chop your ear off because Mum would probably kill me if I did." George frowned.

Fred flashed his hand into a tight fist, put his other hand on top of it and mimed what looked like a small explosion.

"Nah that's too dangerous." George told him, at everyone's confused looks he added, "You really don't need to know."

"We could always try sticking an extendable ear to your head." Fred smirked, "They look real enough."

"We could, but we can work on it later. Maybe a new invention." he replied.

"You two are crazy did you know that?" Percy asked.

"Of course they did Percy." Ginny smiled wickedly. "They wouldn't be them if they weren't aware they were crazy." the twins glared at her with their arms folded identically.

"Ginny be nice to your brother's." Molly scolded.

"Why? They do it to me. A lot." she added.

"Is that true boy's?" Arthur asked.

"Well since we are behaving, and we wouldn't be behaving if we lied, then yes, but she exaggerated with the 'a lot' part." Fred admitted.

"Oh well." Ginny smirked.

"You know Molly I don't think they will ever stop doing it so there's no point telling them not to." James commented.

"Too true." Charlie smirked.

"Even Percy here has started doing it." Bill grinned.

"I have not." Percy huffed.

"You have. You just haven't been aware you have been doing it." George said, "You started doing it after the war." he added.

"I hadn't noticed. Oh well." Percy shrugged smirking.

"Harry? What's next with the memories?" Regulus asked curiously.

"It's his disastrous Floo trip." Ron smirked, "He wasn't going to show it." he added as Harry glared at him.

"But we talked him into it." Ginny grinned.

"I still don't know how it could be important." Harry pouted.

"Harry it comes up later." Ron told him. "Around Christmas." he added.

"Fine." Harry sighed. "You know you three are evil." he said to Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

"And how's that?" Ginny asked sweetly.

"Because if I don't want to do or show something you normally talk me into doing it anyway." he pouted making them laugh.

"What time is it?" Lily asked.

"It's 10.30pm." Molly told her, "Time for bed I think."

"I'll Apparate you back to Privet Drive." Harry said to Petunia Dudley and Amber, "'Mione can you help so it's only one trip?"

"Hold on." Molly said before Hermione could answer, "There's still some room here if they want to stay." the three nodded, "Dudley you can go in the last free guest room with Amber and Cecelia. Petunia you could go in beside Cissy and Andy." they nodded and everyone went up to bed.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 - The Nightmare-ish Feeling.

7th, August, 1998. 10.00am.

The next morning everyone had arrived downstairs in the kitchen, except two of the boys.

"Neville where are Harry and Ron?" Ginny asked.

"They were still asleep when we came down." Draco replied frowning.

"It's not like them to sleep this long." Hermione said confused. "Especially Harry, he's usually the first one up." she added.

"Oh I think I know what's happened." Ginny said, "They'll have taken Dreamless sleep again."

"Why would they do that?" Lily asked.

"All three of us still have pretty bad nightmares of the war and Harry has more than me or Ron." Hermione explained frowning.

"The downside to that is it's only Hermione, Ron and Ginny who can deal with Harry." Molly put in, "Otherwise he panics."

"I think it's because he know's us best." Ginny told them.

"It's usually Ron who deals with him." Neville added. "He has more experience as he shared a dorm and most of the time Dean, Seamus and myself didn't know how to help." he blushed.

Hermione nodded, "I'll go get them, Ginny do you want to help." she smirked mischievously, "I was thinking about going for the cold water approach."

Ginny nodded grinning, "Of course. It will work on Ron but I don't think it will work on Harry. He sleeps like a log when he's taken potions."

"Well we can always whisper 'Death Eater' if he refuses to get up. Just move his wand first." Hermione laughed, they headed upstairs.

"Well." said George, "They are about the only two in the world who could wake those two up without getting hexed."

"Too true." Fred muttered.

James and Lily looked concerned, "How long has Harry been having these nightmares?" Sirius asked also concerned.

"Um... I would say since his fifth year." Neville put in.

The twins nodded, "There were times he could wake half of Gryffindor tower up with them." Fred admitted, "Those were the worst ones." he winced.

"Though most of the time Ron could calm him down." George added.

Just then there was a loud yell from upstairs that sounded suspiciously like, "Bloody hell!"

"That's Ron up then." Bill chuckled.

Then there was a loud 'THUMP!' and then silence.

"I bet you Ron just fell out of his bed." Charlie smirked, then he frowned, "I don't think their having any success waking Harry up."

Everyone was silent, listening for any sound of movement. Suddenly a heart clenching scream filled the house, it sounded as though someone was being tortured.

"That's Harry." Arthur sighed looking pale. "The nightmare must have broken through the Dreamless sleep again."

There was silence from upstairs.

"Oh good they've managed to wake him up." Molly said sadly, "I think we should see if Poppy has anything stronger for him." she added.

"You know she hasn't Molly." Arthur sighed. "We asked last time, anything stronger could do more harm than good." he explained. Just then Hermione and Ginny walked back in.

"They'll be down in 10 minutes." Ginny said. "Please don't question Harry." she added. "He's feeling kind of freaked out this morning."

"Why's he feeling freaked out?" Andy asked, bouncing Teddy on her knee.

"He thinks that something bad's going to happen." Hermione explained, "He'll probably be jumpy all day." she sighed. Ron walked into the room at that point.

"Ginny, you're going to have to get him. He's refusing to listen to me." he said, Ginny nodded and went back upstairs.

When she reached Ron's room she knocked on the door. A muffled "Go away!" was all she got in response.

"Harry it's me." she said.

There was silence until a quiet "Come in." was called. She opened the door and walked in to find Harry on the floor in the corner of the room curled up in a tight ball.

"Oh Harry. What's wrong?"

"Gin, I think something bad's going to happen. I don't know when but it's the same feeling I had before Voldemort returned." he explained.

"Harry." she sighed sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder, "Your safe here, nothing bad can happen to you."

"I know Gin. It's just this feeling I have."

"I know I can feel it coming from you." she explained, "Remember what Hermione said about soul bonds? That eventually we would be able to feel each others feelings?"

"Yeah. But I thought that was only when we were married or something..." he trailed off.

"It was." she admitted, "But it could be because our bond is stronger now. Are you going to come downstairs?" she asked, he nodded.

"I will but can you wait for me please?" he pleaded, looking afraid at being left alone.

"Sure Harry I'll stand at the door while you get dressed." she got up and went to the door but she paused with her hand on the door frame. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too." he whispered back as she closed the door.

Ginny smiled, and leaned against the wall beside the door. After a minute Harry came out of the room and took her hand immediately, he kissed her deeply, pushing all the love he had for her through their bond, before pulling back both of their eyes unfocused.

"Wow." Ginny breathed.

"I know. Wow." he smiled. "Lets go."

Harry led the way downstairs, still not letting go of Ginny's hand. When they walked into the kitchen everyone smiled.

"Glad to see you talked some sence into him Ginny." Ron chuckled.

Harry blushed, "Shut it Ron." he growled, it was quite scary when he growled but Teddy just giggled, now sitting on Lily's knee with bright blue hair. "Glad you find it amusing Teddy." he chuckled.

"Unca Har, wolf." the boy giggled.

Everyone else chuckled as Harry changed into Shadow making Teddy yell with delight. Lily put him down on the floor where he crawled over to Shadow. The wolf lay down on his stomach so Teddy could see him better.

"Well at least we know Teddy isn't going to be afraid of Lycan's." Dora smiled.

"True." Remus chuckled.

No one was paying attention to what Teddy was doing until Shadow yelped in pain. Teddy had grabbed his ear tightly.

"Teddy don't do that." Ginny, who was closest, scolded, picking the toddler up. "That hurts Shadow. Are you okay?" she added to the wolf who had put a paw over his head covering his ear. "I'll take that as a no then." she handed Teddy to Dora and went over to Shadow, lifting his paw, Teddy had managed to tear a little of the skin as a faint blue glowing surrounded a little cut on his ear.

Teddy had noticed and his hair went a dark and miserable blue, "Sh-ad-ow." he said quietly, lip trembling before he started to cry, Dora held him close and started to comfort him before the wolf got up and changed back to Harry who rushed over.

"It's okay Teddy. See I'm fine." Harry soothed his godson, Teddy wouldn't listen so Harry took him from Dora, she looked lost about calming her son down, "See look Teddy its okay, It only hurt a little." the little boy looked at Harry's ear and calmed down upon seeing it was really fine.

"Unca Har, me tr-ou-ble?" he asked.

"No Teddy it was an accident. You didn't mean it."

The boy put his head on his Godfather's shoulder, "Unca Har." he yawned with a smile before falling asleep.

"Well that was fast, I never expected him to calm down that quickly." Petunia commented.

"To Teddy, Harry's word is law. If he say's it's okay then it's okay." Andy explained smiling. Remus and Dora smiled at Harry.

"I told you we knew what we were doing when we named you Godfather Harry." Remus beamed. Harry grinned back.

"I think Teddy saved me more than anyone thinks." Harry admitted. "If it wasn't for him I'd probably still be depressed over the war..." he trailed off.

"I think we all would to be honest." Ginny added as the rest nodded. "He could always cheer us up."

Remus and Dora smiled at their sleeping son. "Glad he could help." Remus said, "Still I regret the time we couldn't spend with him." Dora nodded.

"He's young enough that he won't remember." Cissy put in, "You can explain when he's ready to know."

"We will." Dora smiled, "He deserves to know."

"Right everyone breakfast is ready." Molly announced, she had made it when no one else had noticed.

After breakfast everyone went through to the living room, Harry put the sleeping Teddy in his crib and Amber checked on Cecelia who was also sleeping in another crib that had been conjured.

"I wonder when Minerva will get here." Bill said. "She's not usually this late." an owl swooped in the window and dropped a letter with the Hogwarts crest on Harry's knee and flew out again.

Harry opened it and read it. "Minerva's going through some thing's with Kingsley today, so she can't join us this morning. Both she and Kingsley will join us after dinnertime or tomorrow morning depending how long it takes." he explained.

"Oh Bill? I think you're forgetting something." George grinned. Bill looked confused.

"We said we would behave until after breakfast." Fred smirked.

"He's right Bill." Charlie chuckled.

"And they have behaved." Draco put in.

"Told you we could." the twins grinned cheerfully.

Bill groaned. "Fine you proved me wrong."

"You know I think that's the longest they've ever behaved." Molly commented. "At least in a house full of people." she added.

"Terribly boring isn't it Fredrick?" George said in a mock-posh voice.

"Oh I quite agree." Fred said in the same voice. "Let's stop shall we?" he suggested.

"Yes lets." George agreed. He took his wand out and swished it above Bill's head. Bill was suddenly covered in a green sheet and he started trying to get it off of him. "Oop's It wasnt meant to do that." George frowned.

"No it wasn't." Fred got up and pulled the sheet of of Bill. Everyone froze. Bill had bright blue skin and his hair was neon green. Slowly everyone started laughing, even Bill himself.

Once the laughing had stopped Bill spoke up. "Okay I deserved that one can you undo it now please?" he asked.

The twins nodded. "It wasn't meant to do that it was meant to release some of our safe colour change gloopy gunge to make you red all over. Not change your hair colour or make your skin blue." Fred explained frowning.

"I think we need to work on our trap nets Forge." George said.

"Right you are Gred." he replied taking a purple sweet out of his pocket. "Bill chew this." Bill looked apprehensive. "Oh don't worry this should remove the colour. All our restoratives are kept away from the Skiving Snackboxes." Bill nodded and chewed the sweet, his skin and hair slowly going back to normal.

"What's a Skiving Snackbox?" James asked.

"There product's we sell at our store. Basically there sweets that make you ill if you eat one side and make you better if you eat the purple side." George replied.

"We have: Fainting Fancies." Fred started.

"Nosebleed Nougat." George continued.

"Puking Pastiles."

"Pimple Pill's."

"Spot's Supplies. They give you any kind of spots you want." Fred explained.

"Fever Fudge."

"Paling Peppermints."

"Coughing Chocolates."

"And Bulging Brains." they finished together grinning.

"You have been busy then." Sirius commented, "You had only figured out half of them before I died."

The two nodded. "We have other products finalised too." George said.

"And were working on more to be on the shelves after I'm declared alive again." Fred grinned.

"I'm guessing it's a joke shop then?" Regulus asked grinning.

"Of course." they both replied. "Mind you, we do some protective stuff as well." George added.

"Like this." Fred said holding his wrist out to show a thin black band, "It's a dragon skin jinx repeller." he explained. "It will deflect all minor jinxes." Charlie glared at him, "Don't worry Charlie the dragons died naturally." Charlie nodded satisfied.

"And this." George said pointing at a pendant around his neck that was in the shape of a fox. "This will handle the hexes." Fred showed a similar one around his neck.

"We do things like sweat bands, rings, hat's, ankle bands, socks, gloves and even some belt buckles." Fred said. "They were designed for the war, although they can't deflect Unforgivables which, unfortunately, were the most used through it."

"Still came in hand at the school though." Ginny pointed out, "It was common for some people to sneak up on you and hex you when you weren't looking." she scowled.

"Most of the Slytherin's didn't want to do it." Draco said, "They said it felt like being a coward, which is true, but most of them were under threat by the Carrow's." he explained, "The student's were told that they would be crucioed or killed if they didn't do as they were told."

"I hope they rot in Azkaban." Cissy said firmly.

"Who are the Carrow's?" Dudley asked.

"Death Eaters." Harry explained.

"Two of the stupidest which, unfortunately, made them more dangerous." Ginny growled.

"Relax Ginny, we got them back." Neville smirked. "They didn't know what happens when you mess with the D.A."

"True. It was amusing to see them go around walking right into our traps." she giggled.

"Defiantly. I liked the one where they couldn't get to the great hall because we put a portable swamp right in front of it." Luna smiled.

"Ah so that's what you did!" the twins laughed.

"Another one of your products?" Lily asked making them nod through their laughter.

"That's the one I gave you the idea for isn't it?" Remus asked, he looked amused when they nodded.

"Remus you're not supposed to give them ideas, your meant to be the innocent Marauder." Molly frowned.

"You just said it, I'm 'supposed to be' that doesn't mean I am." he chuckled.

"Most of the time it was Moony who gave us ideas and helped us do them safely." Sirius pointed out.

"Just remember he may be the most innocent Marauder but he's still a Marauder." James smirked.

"His inner troublemaker likes to be free and not kept in a cage." Sirius chuckled.

"Which is why I couldn't control it around the full moon." Remus added, amused. "I was too busy keeping the wolf at bay to keep my inner troublemaker, as Sirius calls it, under control." he explained. The other two Marauders nodded in confirmation.

"Never would have guessed." Regulus laughed.

"Yeah. Do you remember that one in our first year, James, before we were friends with Remus? It was around Christmas time just before the holidays." Sirius asked, Remus blushed knowing what he was about to say.

"The one where the entrance hall got turned into an ice rink?" James asked, Sirius nodded, "That one was fun. Each house had its own set skating style Gryffindor was skating on one leg in a straight line."

"Hufflepuff had to skate in diagonal lines bent in half so they were going head first." Sirius chuckled.

"Ravenclaw's had to skate in starfish shapes going in spirals." Lily added.

"And the Slytherin's just spun around really fast on the spot." Sirius finished.

Remus blushed. "It was only a day away from the full moon." he admitted.

"That was you on your own?" Cissy asked, he nodded. "That's really advanced, you don't usually learn that charm until you're in 5th year."

"I know, my Dad taught me." he smiled, Amber frowned so he added, "When I was 10." she nodded in understanding that he didn't mean their birth father. "I think it's to do with power levels. With the werewolf curse your magic matures quicker than it should."

"Why does it do that?" Petunia asked curiously.

"Well eventually the curse will start eating at your magical core." he frowned, "If you don't use a lot of high-powered spells then it will leave you a squib then it will move onto draining your life eventually killing you." he winced. "That's why I'd spend some time each day casting my patronus and letting it run around the room, or I'd do some spells that needed more power."

"How did that help?" Dudley asked.

"Using spells that need higher power behind them, like patronuses, stretches your magic so it goes higher but not using spells for say 12 years can make it more difficult for the magic to come to you." Sirius explained. "I could barely do any spell's when I broke out of Azkaban." he added, "Moony had to help me with the defensive ones. But because I used Padfoot a lot my power level didn't go down completely. I was still strong enough for some spells." he added.

"I'm surprised Greyback lasted as long as he has." Remus commented. "He will be about 60 now. he was in his 20's when he bit me and that was around 35 years ago." he frowned, "Most werewolves don't live past 50." he added.

"Well if that's the case then he wont last long where he is." Harry frowned, "He was caught and sent to Azkaban. Dont worry the cell was re-inforced and had extra protection around it, he's not getting out unless he has outside help that can get past 10 bars and doors made of pure silver."

"Oh good." Remus smirked. "He deserves it. But who caught him?"

"I did." Harry smirked.

"How did you do that? He was very difficult for the Aurors to catch." Dora pouted.

"Easy he was more bent on killing me than to what he was doing." Harry explained. "So when he wasn't paying attention I sent three stunner's at him then tied him up properly when the mini-battle was over. There was at least 20 of them." he added.

"We subdued thirteen of them but some escaped." Hermione pouted. "I think three died after the attack because of internal injuries."

"Yeah and it was only 5 of us that were there." Ron said, "Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and myself. We were there to help Draco clear some Dark objects out of the Mannor when they attacked."

"True. It's really my fault I should have checked what wards were up." Draco sighed.

"You couldn't have known." Cissy pointed out, "And we didn't know how to get rid of the one that let them in any way." Draco nodded glaring at his left arm.

"The stupid Dark Mark barrier... You had to have a Dark Mark or be with someone who has one to get past it." Draco muttered.

"Are we done with the depressing topic's?" Harry asked gloomily, everyone nodded. "Oh good, do you want to continue with the memories today or tomorrow?"

"Today." most of the room said.

Harry chuckled, "Today it is then, it's a good thing Minerva left the pensive here." he said getting up and preparing the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 - second Year (Part 2.5)

7th, August, 1998. 12.00am.

"Okay here we go." Harry said cheerfully, "This will cover our trip for school supplies and who our new defence teacher was."

**Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive.**

"Well, duh! We actually like you." Fred said.

"For your information we do like Harry we just didn't show it often." Petunia blushed as Dudley nodded.

"Except Dad he hated you." Dudley added.

"I figured that." Harry chuckled, "The feeling was mutual."

**The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. Harry got a shock the first time he looked in the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece and it shouted, "Tuck your shirt in, scruffy!"**

Everyone laughed.

**The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal. What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him.**

"How is that unusual? Didn't you get used to everyone liking you at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged.

**Mrs. Weasley fussed over the state of his socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal. Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard him with questions about life with Muggles, asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked.**

"Seems you don't change, Arthur." Sirius grinned.

"Of course not." he replied chuckling.

**"Fascinating." he would say as Harry talked him through using a telephone. "Ingenious, really, how many ways Muggles have found of getting along without magic."**

**Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after he had arrived at the Burrow. He and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun.**

"Awww. Young love." Sirius said.

Ginny growled at Sirius. "Sirius, shut it before I hex you!"

"I would listen to her." all those who had received her bat-bogey hex before said.

**Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him.**

"Your more of a gentleman than I thought." Lily said happily, "Better than your father, that's for sure."

"Hey!" James replied insulted as Harry smirked.

**"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry ****-**** doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.**

**For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Harry's told him to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first. There was also a list of the new books he'd need for the coming year.**

**SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:**

**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk**

**Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**43 Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart**

**Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart**

"That's a lot of books from Lockhart." Regulus said.

"How did that dolt write books? He's not smart enough to write books. I bet he doesn't he know what he wrote." Sirius said.

"Probably stole all the credit from other witches and wizards." James said.

"The new Defense teacher must be a witch who is a fan of him." Lily said.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah right. Lockhart is so full of himself that I bet he's the teacher."

"Dumbledore would never hire that idiot." Dora replied.

"Oh yes he would, he hired Quirrell didn't he?" Harry pointed out. "Then there was some terrible DADA teachers I think the best ones were third, fourth and sixth year, we actually learned something useful." he commented.

**Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Harry's.**

**"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan ****-**** bet it's a witch."**

**At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade.**

**"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive..."**

**"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."**

"That means we get to see more of her love for Harry." Sirius grinned evilly.

At a look from Ginny, Remus hit Sirius on the back of the head.

**"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.**

**She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish.**

James and Sirius burst out laughing.

"Seems your husband is still a idiot." Ginny told Lily irritably.

"Ah well." she sighed.

"Oi! You two shut it!" Harry growled noticing Ginny was prepared to hex them into next year. They wisely shut up.

**Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest.**

"It's not even school time yet." Sirius snorted. "Your worse than Lily and Remus were." the mentioned two glared at him as Percy blushed.

**"Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."**

**He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a molting, gray feather duster ****-**** at least, that was what Harry thought it was, until he saw that it was breathing.**

**"Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. "Finally**** -**** he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."**

**He carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron lay him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud:**

**"****'****Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there,**

**I hope everything went all right and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too.****'"**

"Sounds like you care more about Harry then Ron." James said.

"Harry has always had it worse. Ron has a loving family." Hermione replied, shrugging. "I've always worried for both of them, but Harry has been in more dangerous situations then Ron, so I worry over him a little more. And besides that, if Ron got in trouble, he deserved it, as it would have been his fault."

"You've got that right." Ron nodded. "Harry has always been the one in more danger than us."

"Might have something with Voldemort trying to kill me almost every year." Harry whispered to them, they nodded. "Glad to know you care." he said in normal tones, smirking.

**"'****I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one off.****I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course'**** -**** How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation!**

"You still get homework on vacation." Lily said.

**"- ****'and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can.**

**Love from Hermione.'"**

"Love." Sirius teased.

Hermione glared at him. "I always sign my letters like that."

"Sure you do." Sirius replied.

Hermione huffed and leaned back in her seat.

"Ignore him 'Mione." Harry soothed. "Sirius she does always sign all her letters like that so leave her alone." Sirius pouted.

"Besides he's just being a mutt, we just ignore him when he's doing that." James chuckled as Remus nodded. Sirius glared at them for that.

**"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"**

**Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high.**

"Cool." James said.

**They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom; Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies.**

**Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he had said he was busy.**

**Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time.**

**"Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning. "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all."**

**"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "Bill got twelve, too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame."**

"There's nothing wrong with being head boy." James, Percy and Bill said, all being head boys when they were at school.

**Bill was the oldest Weasley brother. He and the next brother, Charlie, had already left Hogwarts. Harry had never met either of them, but knew that Charlie was in Romania studying dragons and Bill in Egypt working for the wizard's bank, Gringotts.**

**"Dunno how Mum and Dad are going to afford all our school stuff this year," said George after a while. "Five sets of Lockhart books! And Ginny needs robes and a wand and everything..."**

**Harry said nothing. He felt a bit awkward. Stored in an underground vault at Gringotts in London was a small fortune that his parents had left him. Of course, it was only in the wizarding world that he had money; you couldn't use Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in Muggle shops. He had never mentioned his Gringotts bank account to the Dursleys; he didn't think their horror of anything connected with magic would stretch to a large pile of gold.**

**Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.**

**"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today... Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"**

**And she offered him the flowerpot.**

**Harry stared at them all watching him.**

"I didn't know that you had never Floo'd before." Molly said sheepishly.

**"W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered.**

**"He's never traveled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."**

**"Never?" said Mr. Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"**

**"I went on the Underground ****-****"**

**"Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly ****-****"**

"Did you mean escalators?" Lily asked.

"Probably." Arthur shrugged.

**"Not now, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder's a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before ****-****"**

**"He'll be all right, Mum," said Fred. "Harry, watch us first."**

**He took a pinch of glittering powder out of the flowerpot, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames.**

**With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Fred, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and vanished.**

**"You must speak clearly, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Harry as George dipped his hand into the flowerpot. "And be sure to get out at the right grate..."**

**"The right what?" said Harry nervously as the fire roared and whipped George out of sight, too.**

**"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly ****-****"**

**"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," said Mr. Weasley, helping himself to Floo powder too.**

**"But, dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?"**

"They would be enthusiastic that he was lost." James snarled angrily.

"Correction Vernon would." Petunia pouted, "I would have been worried." she admitted.

"I would've been confused about how someone could get lost in fire." Dudley mused.

**"They wouldn't mind," Harry reassured her. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that ****-****"**

"I would have thought who ever told me was crazy." Dudley chuckled.

**"Well... all right... you go after Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going."**

**"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron advised.**

**"And your eyes shut," said Mrs. Weasley. "The soot ****-****"**

**"Don't fidget," said Ron. "Or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace ****-****"**

"And take your glasses off." James said. "Flooing always breaks glasses."

"I learned that the hard way." Harry chuckled. "Glad I don't need them anymore."

**"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."**

**Trying hard to bear all this in mind, Harry took a pinch of Floo powder and walked to the edge of the fire. He took a deep breath, scattered the powder into the flames, and stepped forward; the fire felt like a warm breeze; he opened his mouth and immediately swallowed a lot of hot ash.**

**"D-Dia-gon Alley," he coughed.**

"That's not good." Lily said nervously.

**It felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast ****-**** the roaring in his ears was deafening ****-**** he tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick ****- ****something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning ****-**** now it felt as though cold hands were slapping his face ****-**** squinting through his glasses he saw a blurred stream of fireplaces and snatched glimpses of the rooms beyond ****-**** his bacon sandwiches were churning inside him ****-**** he closed his eyes again wishing it would stop, and then...**

**He fell, face forward, onto cold stone and felt the bridge of his glasses snap.**

**Dizzy and bruised, covered in soot, he got gingerly to his feet, holding his broken glasses up to his eyes. He was quite alone, but where he was, he had no idea. All he could tell was that he was standing in the stone fireplace of what looked like a large, dimly lit wizard's shop ****-**** but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list.**

**A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a bloodstained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, the dark, narrow street Harry could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley.**

"Knockturn Alley." Regulus said, "Definitely not good. That place is really bad. You need to get out of there."

"Don't worry Hagrid finds me eventually." Harry explained.

**The sooner he got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where it had hit the hearth, Harry made his way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before he'd got halfway toward it, two people appeared on the other side of the glass ****-**** and one of them was the very last person Harry wanted to meet when he was lost, covered in soot, and wearing broken glasses: Draco Malfoy.**

"I had no idea you were there." Draco frowned.

"That's a good thing, you weren't supposed to find me." Harry smirked.

**Harry looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to his left; he shot inside it and pulled the doors closed, leaving a small crack to peer through.**

**Seconds later, a bell clanged, and Malfoy stepped into the shop.**

**The man who followed could only be Draco's father.**

"Great, those gits are there. This couldn't get worse." Sirius hissed.

"Yes it could. Thing's can always be worse." Cissy pointed out. "For one they could have found Harry."

"Fair enough." Sirius sighed.

**He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, gray eyes. Mr. Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."**

**Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."**

**"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers on the counter.**

**"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous... famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead..."**

"Not true. Harry's an awesome seeker!" James said.

"I agreed with the stupid scar part though." Harry admitted. "Who want's to be famous for becoming an orphan, for something I couldn't even remember beyond green lights until I was 13." he spat bitterly. "Most people didn't notice that I didn't ask to become famous."

"We know Harry it was unfair but there's nothing we can do to change the past." Hermione said. "Anyone who has a brain can tell you hate being famous."

"Reporters don't have brains?" Ron inquired, "That explains a lot."

Everyone laughed a little at that.

"The reporters from the Quibbler do." Harry shrugged, smiling at Luna. "They dont annoy people to the point of the person wanting to hex them."

"Our reporters only print the truth." Luna beamed, "I picked most of them, so I know they wouldn't be desperate enough to act like the reporters for the Prophet."

**Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.**

**"... everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick ****-****"**

**"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son. "And I would remind you that it is not ****-**** prudent ****-**** to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear ****-**** ah, Mr. Borgin."**

**A stooping man had appeared behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair back from his face.**

**"Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Borgin in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted ****-**** and young Master Malfoy, too ****-**** charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced ****-****"**

**"I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling," said Mr. Malfoy.**

**"Selling?" The smile faded slightly from Mr. Borgin's face.**

**"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," said Mr. Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Borgin to read. "I have a few ****-**** ah ****-**** items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call..."**

"Yes and the ministry was able to trace them back to him anyway." Arthur smirked.

"Well it may have helped that they knew the place from the first war when it was checked." Cissy added. "Plus I made Lucius get rid of most of the dark stuff just before Draco was born."

**Mr. Borgin fixed a pair of pince-nez to his nose and looked down the list.**

**"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?"**

"With all the money he was giving them, of course they won't." Draco said darkly.

**Mr. Malfoy's lip curled.**

**"I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act ****-**** no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it ****-****"**

"Shut up, you stupid git. Arthur is a much better man then you will ever be." James said.

Arthur blushed.

**Harry felt a hot surge of anger.**

**"****-**** and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear ****-****"**

**"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin. "Let me see..."**

**"Can I have that?" interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.**

**"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."**

"That's awesome, but I could never like it if it's dark." Sirius muttered.

"Too true." James muttered.

**"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant ****-****"**

**"Though if his grades don't pick up," said Mr. Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for ****-****"**

**"It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger ****-****"**

**"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Malfoy.**

"Good job, Hermione." Sirius smirked. "Show those gits that Muggle-Borns are just as good, if not better, then Purebloods."

Hermione blushed. "Thanks."

**"Ha!" said Harry under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry.**

**"It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere ****-****"**

**"Not with me," said Mr. Malfoy, his long nostrils flaring.**

**"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow.**

**"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Malfoy shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today ****-****"**

**They started to haggle. Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Draco paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals, Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed ****-**** Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.**

"Urgh, I hate that thing." Cissy moaned.

"Your not the only one." Sirius sighed, everyone else looked confused.

"It was created by the Black family." Regulus explained, "Almost 90 years ago." he added. The other Black's, except Draco who didn't know, nodded.

**Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward ****-**** he stretched out his hand for the handle "Done," said Mr. Malfoy at the counter. "Come, Draco ****-****"**

**Harry wiped his forehead on his sleeve as Draco turned away.**

"That was close." Ron smirked, "Look's like lady luck was on your side right then."

"Yeah one of the few time I got lucky, usually it was the other way around." Harry groaned.

**"Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."**

**The moment the door had closed, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily manner.**

**"Good day yourself, Mister Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your manor..." Muttering darkly, Mr. Borgin disappeared into a back room. Harry waited for a minute in case he came back, then, quietly as he could, slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door.**

**Clutching his broken glasses to his face, Harry stared around. He had emerged into a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The one he'd just left, Borgin and Burkes, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of shrunken heads and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with gigantic black spiders.**

**Two shabby-looking wizards were watching him from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Harry set off, trying to hold his glasses on straight and hoping against hope he'd be able to find a way out of here.**

**An old wooden street sign hanging over a shop selling poisonous candles told him he was in Knockturn Alley. This didn't help, as Harry had never heard of such a place. He supposed he hadn't spoken clearly enough through his mouthful of ashes back in the Weasleys' fire. Trying to stay calm, he wondered what to do.**

**"Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice in his ear, making him jump.**

**An aged witch stood in front of him, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at him, showing mossy teeth. Harry backed away.**

"Stay away from him." Remus growled.

**"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "I'm just ****-****"**

**"HARRY! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"**

**Harry's heart leapt. So did the witch; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as the massive form of Hagrid, the Hogwarts' gamekeeper, came striding toward them, beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard.**

"Thank Merlin Hagrid was there to get Harry out of there." Percy said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

**"Hagrid!" Harry croaked in relief. "I was lost ****-**** Floo powder ****-****"**

**Hagrid seized Harry by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away from the witch, knocking the tray right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the twisting alleyway out into bright sunlight. Harry saw a familiar, snow-white marble building in the distance ****-**** Gringotts Bank. Hagrid had steered him right into Diagon Alley.**

**"Yer a mess!" said Hagrid gruffly; brushing soot off Harry so forcefully he nearly knocked him into a barrel of dragon dung outside an apothecary.****"Skulkin' around Knockturn Alley, I dunno dodgy place, Harry ****-**** don' want no one ter see yeh down there ****-****"**

**"I realized that," said Harry, ducking as Hagrid made to brush him off again. "I told you, I was lost ****-**** what were you doing down there, anyway?"**

**"I was lookin' fer a Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent," growled Hagrid. "They're ruinin' the school cabbages. Yer not on yer own?"**

**"I'm staying with the Weasleys but we got separated," Harry explained. "I've got to go and find them..."**

**They set off together down the street.**

**"How come yeh never wrote back ter me?" said Hagrid as Harry jogged alongside him (he had to take three steps to every stride of Hagrid's enormous boots). Harry explained all about Dobby and the Dursleys.**

**"Lousy Muggles," growled Hagrid. "If I'd've known ****-****"**

**"Harry! Harry! Over here!"**

**Harry looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing at the top of the white flight of steps to Gringotts. She ran down to meet them, her bushy brown hair flying behind her.**

**"What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid ****-**** Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again ****-**** Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"**

**"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," said Harry.**

**"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin.**

**Harry and Hermione looked around: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.**

**"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far..." He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic ****-**** she's coming now ****-****"**

**"Where did you come out?" Ron asked.**

**"Knockturn Alley," said Hagrid grimly.**

**"Excellent!" said Fred and George together.**

**"We've never been allowed in," said Ron enviously.**

"I should hope not." Dora said. "That place is dangerous. Especially for kids." she shuddered.

"And everyone else." Remus added, "Especially since I know a few of Greyback's pack used to live around there."

**"I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid. Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.**

**"Oh, Harry ****-**** oh, my dear ****-**** you could have been anywhere ****-****"**

**Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new.**

**"Well, gotta be off," said Hagrid, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"). "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street.**

**"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father."**

**"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" said Mr. Weasley sharply behind them.**

**"No, he was selling ****-****"**

**"So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."**

"I'd love for you to, too." Sirius said. "He really deserves to be in Azkaban."

"Well he's there now." Cissy smirked.

"And as far as we know he's never getting out." Draco added cheerfully.

"It's wonderful isn't it." Astoria, who had been quiet all day, said making the others nod.

**"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew ****-****"**

**"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.**

**"But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.**

"My dad thought you were insane." Hermione grinned. Arthur blushed as most others laughed.

**"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.**

**The vaults were reached by means of small, goblin-driven carts that sped along miniature train tracks through the bank's underground tunnels. Harry enjoyed the breakneck journey down to the Weasleys' vault, but felt dreadful, far worse than he had in Knockturn Alley, when it was opened. There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon.**

Arthur and Molly blushed.

**Mrs. Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. Harry felt even worse when they reached his vault. He tried to block the contents from view as he hastily shoved handfuls of coins into a leather bag.**

**Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.**

**"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins' retreating backs.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfully in Harry's pocket was clamoring to be spent, so he bought three large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione dragged them off to buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains they found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called Prefects Who Gained Power.**

**"A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers," Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds fascinating..."**

"I wonder who will be Prefect in your year." Lily said.

"Hermione, of course." Sirius replied. "And Ron."

"Yeah because as you know I had enough to deal with." Harry explained, "And Ron deserved it anyway."

"True." Sirius admitted. "You were more trouble than anyone else at the school." he chuckled.

"Shush, Snuffles." Harry mock-whispered. "Although your right, I did cause more trouble out of anyone else in our year." he blushed.

"Yes you did." Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Draco said making him blush harder.

"Think of all the times we almost gave every teacher at Hogwarts a heart attack." Hermione giggled.

"Or the time's we just drove them mad with all the trouble we got ourselves into." Ron grinned.

"Hey, I'll have you know I don't go looking for trouble." Harry complained. "Trouble usually find's me." Everyone laughed.

**"Go away," Percy snapped.**

**"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out... He wants to be Minister of Magic..." Ron told Harry and Hermione in an undertone as they left Percy to it.**

"I didn't want to be Minister and I still don't." Percy frowned. "There's way too much paperwork." he smirked. "I'm happy just being Senior Undersecretary to the Minister."

**An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:**

**GILDEROY LOCKHART****will be signing copies of his autobiography ****MAGICAL ME****today 12:30P.****M - ****4:30P.M.**

"Oh wonderful, that git is in the book store personally." James grumbled.

"Get used to seeing him, Prongs. He's most likely the defense teacher." Sirius replied.

**"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"**

"Seems someone has a crush on the git." Sirius said teasingly.

Hermione looked curiously at the memory. "I wonder... if it was a crush or I just admired everything he did."

Sirius pouted. "You're suppose to blush and be embarrassed."

Hermione smiled. "I've dealt with teasing for years, Snuffles. I don't get embarrassed easily anymore."

"Not fair." Sirius crossed his arms childishly.

"She's telling the truth though." Harry and Ron said.

**The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies... Don't push, there... mind the books, now..."**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. They each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.**

**"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."**

**Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.**

**A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.**

**"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet ****-****"**

**"Big deal," said Ron, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.**

**Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron ****-**** and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter?"**

"RUN!" Sirius yelled.

"Sirius, that was right in my ear." Remus growled, rubbing his ear.

Sirius smiled innocently at Remus, who kept growling so Sirius moved to the other side of James and Lily.

"Padfoot you know not to annoy Moony." James scolded. "He'll just hex you. Either that or he'll just keep fighting you when he's a wolf." Sirius nodded reluctantly and Remus grinned in triumph.

**The crowd parted, whispering excitedly; Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys.**

**"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."**

"GIT!" Sirius yelled angrily jumping up.

Remus growled, he got up and tackled Sirius onto the ground.

"That git is using my son for his own publicity." Lily growled, ignoring the wrestling duo on the ground.

Dora glanced at the wrestling duo. No one else, except Cissy, Andy and the Silver and Golden Trio's seemed bothered by it. "Is this normal?" She pointed at Sirius and Remus.

"Yeah, James, Sirius, and Remus wrestle all the time." Lily replied. "They were always tackling each other in the common room for one reason or another. They started the wrestling out of anger, but somewhere during the wrestling the anger disappears and they just fought for the fun of it."

"It will probably take some time for them to stop, go ahead and ignore them." James said dismissively.

**When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side.**

**"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time****When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography ****-**** which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge ****-****" The crowd applauded again.**

**"He had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"**

Remus rolled himself and Sirius over so he was on top. "I win!" he cheered, helping Sirius up, both wizards sat back on the couch.

"Stupid advanced strength." Sirius muttered.

"What was that last bit of the memory?" Remus asked, smirking at Sirius.

"Lockhart's their defence teacher." Dora told them making them groan.

**The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron.**

**"You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "I'll buy my own ****-****"**

"That was nice of you." Lily cooed, while glaring at Sirius and James for saying 'Awww' mockingly.

Harry and Ginny blushed as well but still managed to glare at James and Sirius.

**"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer.**

"Oh great. It's back to me being a git." Draco sighed.

**"Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."**

"I'll have you know, that was the first and second last time that happened. The second time was a last month." Harry said sighing.

**"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy.**

"Awww. She's defending her boyfriend." Sirius said.

Ginny hit him in the face with a silencing charm. "Shut up, Snuffles." she growled.

"He's going to have to that was a silencing charm." Harry smirked as Sirius groaned silently.

"And I'm not taking it off until the end of this memory." Ginny said firmly.

"Oh good. But he can break them if he tries hard enough." Remus chuckled.

Sirius frowned in concentration and then smirked, "Yep. I sure can." he grinned triumphantly to the shock of the others. "All the practice was worth it."

**"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet as Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both clutching stacks of Lockhart's books.**

**"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Malfoy as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"**

**"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Malfoy. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."**

**Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started toward Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket.**

"Why did you have to go and do that?" Sirius asked sadly. "He deserved whatever was coming."

"I really did." Draco agreed.

"Fighting doesn't solve anything." Lily said.

"No, but it's a nice way to release your anger." Hermione replied.

Lily looked at her shocked, "Hermione!"

"Come on, Lily. You can't honestly tell me you never dueled anyone to release your anger and stress." Hermione said.

Lily blushed, making Sirius and James snicker.

"I thought so." Hermione said smugly.

**"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."**

**"Well, well, well ****-**** Arthur Weasley."**

**It was Mr. Malfoy. He stood with his hand on Draco's shoulder, sneering in just the same way.**

**"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.**

**"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"**

**He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.**

**"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"**

"You're the one who's a disgrace to the wizard name." Draco snarled.

**Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.**

**"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.**

**"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower."**

James growled. "Stupid prejudiced git. There's nothing wrong with Muggles or Muggle-borns."

**There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf.**

"YES!" James and Sirius yelled. "GO ARTHUR!" Arthur blushed as Molly glared at him.

"He deserved it." Arthur defended himself.

"That doesnt mean you had to attack him!" Molly snapped.

"Mum if he didn't it would've been one of us." Fred pointed out.

"And at 14 I really doubt we'd do much except get ourselves cursed." George added, "Think about the lack of experience we had at that time."

"See Molly, I stopped them doing it." Arthur smiled, "And he did deserve it." Molly sighed but kept silent.

**Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please ****-**** please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all ****-**

**"Break it up, there, gents, break it up ****-****"**

**Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.**

**"Here, girl ****-**** take your book ****-**** it's the best your father can give you ****-****" Pulling himself out of Hagrid's grip he beckoned to Draco and swept from the shop.**

"Good riddance." Sirius muttered.

**"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," said Hagrid, almost lifting Mr. Weasley off his feet as he straightened his robes. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that ****-**** no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter ****-**** bad blood, that's what it is ****-**** come on now ****-**** let's get outta here."**

"That comment was accurate when it came to Lucius, but not Draco and myself, we were trying to stay alive and safe." Cissy frowned.

"It's the reputation we had." Draco shrugged, "And neither of us showed any resistance to the dark side until last year, even then it wasnt much and never in public."

**The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them leaving, but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, the Grangers shaking with fright and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury.**

**"A fine example to set for your children... brawling in public... what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought ****-****"**

**"He was pleased," said Fred. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report ****-**** said it was all publicity ****-****"**

**But it was a subdued group that headed back to the fireside in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry, the Weasleys, and all their shopping would be traveling back to the Burrow using Floo powder. They said good-bye to the Grangers, who were leaving the pub for the Muggle street on the other side; Mr. Weasley started to ask them how bus stops worked, but stopped quickly at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face.**

**Harry took off his glasses and put them safely in his pocket before helping himself to Floo powder.**

"It only takes the first time of Flooing with glasses to realize that you shouldn't Floo while wearing glasses." James said wisely, adjusting his own.

**It definitely wasn't his favorite way to travel.**

"That's the end of that memory let me change it and we'll continue." Harry said getting up.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 - Second Year (Part 3)

7th, August, 1998. 1.00pm.

Before Harry sat down after changing the memory the floo lit up and the figures of Minerva and Kingsley appeared.

"Hello everyone." Kingsley greeted.

"Hello Minister." they all replied.

"You know." Kingsley said thoughtfully, "The whole Minister thing is going to get annoying. It's all I hear all day when I'm walking around the Ministry." he chuckled.

"At least you don't have to deal with all the different titles." Harry snorted, "I think I must have to put up with at least 10 of them."

"True." Ginny giggled, "The most common being 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' and 'The-Man-Who-Won'." she laughed.

"Fair enough." Minerva chuckled, "It's either that or 'The Chosen One'."

Harry groaned as the others laughed. "I think I prefered being called a liar and insane." he admitted.

"Just because you didn't have to put up with the reporters when you went out." Hermione said.

"Oh the reporters have been told to leave you alone." Kingsley said smiling, "I heard that a few of them were planning to corner you so I sent an order out yesterday that they have to stay away from you and anyone that's with you." he explained. "Although I don't know how long it will last." he warned.

"Thank you Kingsley." Harry grinned.

"No problem. I know how annoying they can be." he replied.

"Are you joining us for the memories?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind that is." Minerva smiled.

"Of course we don't." Ginny smiled back.

Harry quickly filled them in on what they had missed. "Right this memory is our trip to school." Harry ginned at Ron, who grinned back, as the memory started.

**The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry's liking. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of his life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when he thought of the Dursleys and the sort of welcome he could expect next time he turned up on Privet Drive.**

**On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry's favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding.**

"That was nice of you." Lily said to Molly who blushed.

"She's probably trying to fatten him up." Hermione smiled. "He was still really skinny."

"Blame Vernon for that." Petunia said, "He was the one who refuse to give Harry food. There was a few times I snuck food past him but he usually noticed." she admitted.

"It's okay Aunt Petunia, I kind of figured that, it was only when he was away I got more than usual and after 3rd year this lot helped." Harry said nodding at his friends and family.

**Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour.**

"And Molly didn't do anything?" James asked shocked.

"Why not. It was a good show and nobody would get hurt with both me and Arthur there supervising." Molly shrugged.

**Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.**

**It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.**

Hermione chuckled. "I'm glad I wasn't there."

"I think there would have been more chaos." Ron agreed.

**Harry couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added.**

"It's probably magically expanded." Remus said.

"It better not have been." Molly glared at Arthur.

"It was." he admitted, "Just a bit though." he added. Molly huffed in exasperation.

**"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.**

**When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"**

Remus chuckled. "Arthur had you fooled."

"Hmm... I think we can discuss this later." Molly said dangerously, still glaring at her husband who nodded dejectedly.

**Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he'd see it again when they were back. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary.**

The Golden Trio, Ginny, Molly and Arthur frowned at the mention of the diary. That was what caused the whole mess that year.

**By the time she clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.**

**Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.**

**"Molly, dear****-"**

**"No, Arthur****-"**

**"No one would see****- this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed****"**

"Awesome!" James and Sirius said.

**"****-****that'd get us up in the air****-****then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser****-"**

**"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight****-"**

"Sounds like you would agree if it was nighttime." Remus said.

"I probably would have." Molly admitted.

**They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.**

**Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.**

**"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.**

**Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.**

**"I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.**

**"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry.**

**Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and****-**

**CRASH.**

"What do you mean crash?" Molly and Lily screeched.

"It means they hit the wall instead of going through it." Sirius said, earning him two furious glares from the two worried mothers.

"I'm guessing that isn't meant to happen?" Fleur asked.

"Nope." Draco answered.

**Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?"**

**"Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.**

**"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron.**

**"I dunno****-"**

**Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.**

**"We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered.**

"Oh, I know where this is going." Sirius smirked.

"Where is it going?" Lily asked worried.

"Think Lily, closed barrier, missing the train, flying car." James said.

Lily's eyes widened. "They wouldn't."

"We would." Ron smirked.

"And we did." Harry chuckled.

**"I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself****-"**

**Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds... nine seconds...**

**He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid.**

**Three seconds... two seconds... one second...**

**"It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you g****o****t any Muggle money?"**

**Harry gave a hollow laugh. "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years."**

"They actually gave him money before?" Sirius asked shocked.

"Yes. Well I did." Petunia sighed, "Then that idiot found out and only gave me enough to get the shopping done."

**Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier.**

**"Can't hear a thing," he said tensely. "What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mom and Dad to get back to us."**

**They looked around. People were still watching them,**

"Don't they have anything better to do then to watch two boys?" Lily asked.

"Apparently not." Amber replied.

**mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches.**

**"I think we'd better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We're attracting too much atten****-"**

**"Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"**

"That seems about right." James said.

"What does?" Bill asked confused.

"James here would suggest something like Harry just did, then Sirius would come up with some crazy, dangerous idea from what James said. Then James would agree and they would go do the crazy idea." Remus explained.

Hermione nodded her head. "I've noticed that from hanging around with Harry and Ron."

Lily and Molly were glaring at the two boys, eyes twitching. The boys hid behind their respective girlfriends.

**"What about it?"**

**"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"**

**"But I thought****-"**

**"We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy****-"**

"Very good name for that Ron." Kingsley chuckled.

**"But your Mum and Dad..." said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way. "How will they get home?"**

**"They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet..."**

**Harry's feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement.**

Lily groaned. "There's his stupid father in him."

"Hey!" James objected.

**"Can you fly it?"**

**"No problem," said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express****-"**

"He takes after Fred and George." Molly groaned.

The twins grinned at their little brother who grinned back. "Never thought you had it in you Ron." Fred commented.

"There's a lot that people don't know about us." he grinned back.

"Like what?" Charlie asked.

The Golden Trio looked at each other.

"Well not a lot of people know about the many times we saved multiple lives. There are rumors, but most are false." Harry said finally.

"Although everyone in this room will know what we mean by the end of third year." Hermione added. "We're not giving details just yet though." she said firmly.

**And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked.**

**Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front.**

**"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling alone the main road ahead, but their street was empty.**

**"Okay," he said.**

**Ron pressed a tine silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished- and so did they. Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating about the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.**

Remus laughed. "I'm sure your eyeballs disappeared along with the rest of you, Harry."

**"Let's go," said Ron's voice from his right.**

**And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.**

**Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared.**

"That's not good." Arthur said.

The protective women in the room groaned.

**"Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty****-"**

**Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished.**

**Then it flickered back again.**

**"Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.**

**"Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.**

**"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.**

**"Dip back down again ****-**** quickly ****-****"**

"You're going to get seen." Fleur groaned.

**They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.**

**"I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead ****-**** there!"**

**The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake.**

**"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so ****-**** hold on ****-****"**

**And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.**

**It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.**

**"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.**

**They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.**

**It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel ****-**** past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle.**

"Even we wouldn't go that far, your just insane." the twins chuckled.

**They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches.**

**Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. Why hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters?**

**"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"**

**It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds.**

**Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.**

**Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.**

Molly and Lily looked extremely worried.

"What's happening?" Lily said quietly.

**"It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before..."**

**And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest.**

**"Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously.**

"Sounds like he's talking to a dog," James grinned at Remus, who grinned back.

Sirius pouted. "Can't we just forget that day?"

"Never." Remus said.

"What happened?" Cissy asked.

"Sirius was stuck as Padfoot for a day." James snickered. "Everyone, obviously, treated him like a dog."

"The only reason I was stuck was because of Lily!" Sirius protested, "She used that spell that keeps someone in animal form." he pouted.

"You deserved it." Lily smirked, "That's what you get for annoying me. You knew not to and you still did."

"She's right Paddy." James agreed, "I told you not to annoy her." Sirius huffed.

**When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew.**

**"There!" Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!"**

**Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle.**

**But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed.**

**"Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on ****-****"**

**The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake.**

**The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again.**

**"Come on," Ron muttered.**

**They were over the lake ****-**** the castle was right ahead ****-**** Ron put his foot down.**

**There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.**

**"Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence.**

**The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.**

**"Noooooo!" Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.**

**Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket ****-**

**"STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them ****-**

"Hitting something with your wand isn't going to do anything." Fred said.

"I wouldn't say that." Sirius smirked.

James grinned.

**"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late**** - ****CRUNCH.**

**With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golfball-size lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan.**

"That's not the Whomping Willow is it?" Remus asked nervously, knowing it was his fault the tree was planted there. No one answered and he groaned knowing it was.

**"Are you okay?" Harry said urgently.**

**"My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand ****-****"**

**It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.**

"That made this year difficult for him." Fred said.

"No kidding." Ron muttered.

"You should have sent a letter." Molly frowned. "Why didn't you?"

Ron paled, "Well the thing is... IknewyouwereangryanywayandIdidn'twanttomakeitworse." he blurted out.

"Do you mind saying that a little slower?" Arthur asked amused.

"He knew you both were angry and he didn't want another Howler." Ginny smirked, "I heard him tell Hermione."

**Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started.**

"Wands can't be mended." Lily said.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Lily." Hermione replied.

"It isn't possible." Lily said.

Harry smirked. "Think what you like."

"Which means that you know that it is possible," Remus said. "But I read about wands too and I know they can't be fixed if there that badly broken."

"If you say so." Ron replied smirking like the other two.

**At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.**

**"What's happen ****-****?"**

**Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.**

**"Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving in.**

**"Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.**

**"We're done for!" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating ****-**** the engine had restarted.**

**"Reverse!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward;**

"What? Does the car have a brain?" Sirius asked.

**the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.**

**"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car ****-****"**

**The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.**

"What did you do to that car?" Molly screeched.

"We made it angry." Harry replied.

"Only you two could get a car angry at you." Hermione chuckled.

**"Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!"**

**But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.**

**"Can you believe our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back."**

"That's just Harry's luck." Hermione and Ginny said wisely.

**He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.**

**"Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school..."**

**It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors.**

**"I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey ****-**** Harry ****-**** come and look ****-**** it's the Sorting!"**

**Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall.**

**Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars.**

**Through the forest of pointed black Hogwarts hats, Harry saw a long line of scared-looking first years filing into the Hall. Ginny was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.**

**Every year, this aged old hat, patched, frayed, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the house that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys.**

**Last term, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years.**

**A very small, mousy-haired boy had been called forward to place the hat on his head. Harry's eyes wandered past him to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet.**

**"Hang on..." Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table... Where's Snape?"**

**Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.**

**"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully.**

**"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against Dark Arts job again!"**

"If only!" Sirius cried.

"But alas, he's behind you." James finished dramatically.

"How would you know that?" Andy asked.

"We know Snape." James explained.

**"Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him ****-****"**

**"Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."**

"Told you!" James exclaimed.

"I had wondered where he went." Minerva said.

**Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.**

**"Follow me," said Snape.**

**Not daring even to look at each other, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons.**

**"In!" he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.**

**They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.**

**"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?"**

"First of all, Ron is not his sidekick. He's his best friend." Sirius hissed.

"And secondly, they took the car because they wanted to get to school. Arriving with a bang was just a bonus." James growled.

**"No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it ****-****"**

**"Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?" Ron gulped. This wasn't the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he understood, as Snape unrolled today's issue of the Evening Prophet. "You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He began to read aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower... at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing... Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police... Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear... his own son..."**

**Harry felt as though he'd just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree's larger branches. If anyone found out Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car... he hadn't thought of that...**

**"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape went on.**

**"That tree did more damage to us than we ****-****" Ron blurted out.**

"That'll just make him happier." Remus said.

"I don't think Snape is ever really happy." James commented. Lily smacked the back of his head. "Ow what was that for." he complained.

"For being a prat." she replied.

**"Silence!" snapped Snape again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here."**

"Sadist." Sirius grumbled.

"They're not going to expel them." Lily said.

**Harry and Ron stared at each other, white-faced. Harry didn't feel hungry any more. He now felt extremely sick. He tried not to look at a large, slimy something suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Snape's desk. If Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, they were hardly any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict.**

"Please, Minnie is a big softy." James said. Minerva glared at him. "It's rare but you can't deny it Minnie." he added, she nodded hesitantly.

**Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. Harry had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before.**

**She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.**

"Did you really think I was going to do something to you?" Minerva asked.

"We weren't sure what to think." Harry said honestly, "We had never really gone that far with rule breaking at that point. That was more than school rules, it was the law." he explained as Ron nodded.

**"Sit," she said, and they both backed into chairs by the fire.**

**"Explain," she said, her glasses glinting ominously.**

**Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.**

**"****-**** so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."**

**"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl?" Professor McGonagall said coldly to Harry.**

**Harry gaped at her. Now she said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.**

"Idiot." Lily grumbled. "I know your smart. Why didn't you think of that your self?"

"'Cause we wanted an adventure." Ron replied.

"Didn't you get enough of those in your first year?" Lily hissed.

"Apparently not." Harry grinned. "Come to think of it we have an adventure almost every year." he admitted.

"What about your third year? I'd hardly class that as an adventure." Sirius asked.

"Well to us it count's, even you don't know all that happened, despite the fact you were there." Hermione smirked, "So that was an adventure to us."

"Fair enough." he admitted.

**"I ****-**** I didn't think ****-****"**

**"That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious."**

The Marauders and twins started laughing. "I love your sense of humor, Minnie." Sirius said.

"Thank you, Sirius." Minerva replied, smiling slightly.

**There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it.**

**There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Harry's whole body went numb. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them, and Harry suddenly found himself wishing he and Ron were still being beaten up by the Whomping Willow.**

**There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, "Please explain why you did this."**

**It would have been better if he had shouted.**

"It's always better when someone yells." James said. "Being talked to in a calm tone when you know you did something seriously wrong is really horrible. I hate it. It makes everything feel worse."

"Has that ever happened to you?" Hermione asked.

"A few times." Sirius said. "I think the only one who never had it was Remus."

"No I have, it was after you died though." Remus told him.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

"I'll tell you later." was all the response he got.

**Harry hated the disappointment in his voice. For some reason, he was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles.**

**"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.**

**"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.**

**"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.**

**Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore.**

**"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."**

"He won't do that." James said.

"He's going to eat his words." Sirius added.

"How do you know?" Lily asked.

James smiled. "Remember what he did in his first year? He won't expel them." he said confidently.

**Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled.**

"Sadist!" Sirius screamed, pointing an accusing finger at the memory-Snape.

"Sirius, shut up!" Regulus snapped.

**He cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree ****-**** surely acts of this nature ****-****"**

**"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample ****-****"**

**Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving them alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.**

**"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."**

**"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted ****-****"**

"Where else would she go?" Sirius asked. "She's a Weasley. They all go to Gryffindor."

"Obviously." Ginny rolled her eyes, "I had wondered where those two were though." she commented.

"Well now you know." Harry chuckled.

**"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."**

**"Oh, good," said Ron.**

**"And speaking of Gryffindor ****-****" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Harry cut in: "Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so ****-**** so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it ****-**** should it?" he finished, watching her anxiously.**

"He's definitely got guts." Draco said.

"Just like his father." Lily added exasperated, remembering all the times she watched him try to get out of losing points.

**Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.**

**"I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said, and Harry's heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention."**

"Of course you did point out that it was before the school year had officially started, I wouldn't have taken points anyway." Minerva chuckled. "But I still couldn't let you go unpunished."

"Fair enough." Ron and Harry both said, smirking.

**It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore's writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they'd just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn't squashed him flat.**

"Or we'd wonder what on earth it meant." Petunia said, "How on earth were we supposed to know there was such a thing as a tree that attacks people? Especially at a school." she added.

**Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.**

**"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast."**

**When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.**

**"I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich.**

**"So did I," said Harry, taking one, too.**

**"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them." He swallowed and took another huge bite. "Why couldn't we get through the barrier?"**

**Harry shrugged. "We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," he said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice. "Wish we could've gone up to the feast..."**

"Minnie didn't want you to show off by showing up in the middle of a feast after flying the car there." James said.

"Wrong. Albus didn't want you to show off in front of the whole hall." Minerva smirked, "He felt that you would be too overwhelmed." she explained.

"True. You would have been surrounded by the whole school over that if you had gone to the feast." Kingsley chuckled.

"Although not the Slytherin's." Astoria pointed out. "We would have waited untill the story reached us."

"Which was bound to happen quickly." Draco smirked. "A whole hall of people talking about it, often loudly, spreads stories very. very fast."

**"She didn't want us showing off," said Ron sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car."**

**When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said as they approached.**

**"Er ****-****" said Harry.**

**They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing toward them.**

"Hermione's always there when you really need her." James said.

Hermione smiled. "Of course I am."

**"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors ****-**** someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car!"**

**"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.**

**"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.**

"I really didn't expect them to have actually flown a car to the school. But I should have known it to be true when they weren't on the train." Hermione said.

"Who did you sit with on the train?" Lily asked.

"I sat with Ginny." Hermione replied. "I really wished Ron and Harry were there."

Ginny raised a brow. "Why? Don't you like me?"

"Of course I do. Your one of the few female friends I have. It's just that Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle bothered us." Hermione replied. "If they were there then they could have been the ones to hex them."

"You hexed Draco?" Sirius asked amused.

"Yes she did and I deserved it." Draco blushed.

"But wouldn't Crabbe and Goyle attack you if you did that?" Dora questioned nervously.

Ginny shook her head. "As soon as she hexed him, they left. Crabbe and Goyle are mindless followers. They didn't act without orders from Draco. She never got in trouble for it because Draco never told anyone, probably thought it would be a shame because I beat him. Hermione and I never told anyone, not even Harry and Ron, because we didn't want it to get around."

"Just like when you set Snape on fire." Remus said.

"I would have gotten in trouble for hexing him and I would be the center of attention when people heard that I hexed him, so it became the first secret between Ginny and me." Hermione replied.

"You could have told us." Harry pouted.

"Yeah." Ron said. "Imagine keeping secrets." he huffed.

"Don't start that. I know for a fact that there are things you two know or did that I wasn't told about, so shut it." Hermione smirked.

"How did she know that?" Ron asked confused.

"Easy we're terrible at hiding stuff from her." Harry replied.

"You're terrible at hiding stuff from everyone." Ginny laughed.

"Well everyone that knows you well enough to tell." Neville put in, "Most of the time until 6th year it was difficult for me to tell you were hiding something."

"And you three fooled most of the order." Dora put in, "Most never noticed you were getting information from some of the members." at this she looked pointedly between Sirius and her husband, both blushed.

"Albus told us we could tell them somethings." Sirius explained.

"Yes but you went a little overboard." Minerva accused. "Like when you told them Voldemort was after something."

"I told you." Remus said to Sirius, "They were meant to be told Voldemort was gathering followers and nothing else at that point."

"Oh well." Sirius shrugged.

**"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."**

**"It's 'wattlebird,'" said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point ****-****"**

"You should have told them the point before saying the password." Lily said.

"I know, I wasn't thinking." Hermione admitted.

**Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them.**

**"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years ****-****"**

**"Good for you," said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to; someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"**

**Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but Harry could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once.**

"Such a killjoy." Sirius muttered.

"Actually I was only going to tell them they were stupid to do that then leave them alone." Percy defended himself, "I can't deny I thought it was rather brave of them." he chuckled.

"I think we managed to corrupt him." Bill snickered.

"Finally, we've been trying to do that for years." Charlie smirked.

"Boys!" Molly scolded.

"Sorry Mum. But it's true." Bill shrugged.

"Yeah, might as well as come clean now." Charlie added.

**"Got to get upstairs ****-**** bit tired," he said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.**

**"'Night," Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl just like Percy's.**

**They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds.**

**Ron grinned guiltily at Harry.**

**"I know I shouldn't've enjoyed that or anything, but..."**

"Yes, you should have." James said. "Doing something like that and all the attention is something that you should enjoy." Lily smacked him but he ducked and she missed. "I was expecting that one." he said smirking.

**The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.**

**"Unbelievable!" beamed Seamus.**

**"Cool," said Dean.**

**"Amazing," said Neville, awestruck.**

**Harry couldn't help it. He grinned, too.**

"I think that's the only time I didn't mind the attention." Harry grinned.

"Yes because that was the first time you never done anything heroic." Ginny smirked.

"True." the Golden Trio admitted together.

"That's the end of the memory. I'll be right back." Harry added getting up and going upstairs an odd look on his face.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p>

In response to a review stating I tricked someone into reading a slightly shortened version of the books, please note the common phrase "Don't like it, don't read it!" springs to mind. Otherwise, enjoy the story!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 38 - The Revelations.

7th, August, 1998. 5.00pm.

"Wonder what's up with him." Ron said, watching Harry climb the stairs, "He's not usually like that."

"He's hiding something." Ginny frowned, "He won't even tell me what it is. I knew he was lying earlier when he said he had a bad feeling. I just didn't call him on it." she explained.

"He'll tell us in his own time. Don't push him, the last thing we need is for him to start shouting." Hermione sighed.

"Defiantly not." George agreed.

"He's quite scary when he shouts." Fred added, wincing.

"Will he be okay though?" Lily asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine." Ron said after a minute of silent conversation with Hermione.

"When was the last time Harry was like that?" Draco asked.

"Um... Just at the end of the war." Hermione said.

"I'll go see what's wrong." Ginny said heading upstairs. "Harry?" she called, there was a thump from Ron's room. "Harry?" she tried again when she was at the door. She got a growl as an answer, "I'm coming in." she warned, opening the door.

Shadow was curled in a ball in the same corner Harry had sat in that morning.

"What's wrong?" she asked, the wolf put his head down and sighed looking uncomfortable.

Ginny changed into Misty.

_What's wrong? _she repeated.

_I don't know, _he admitted, _I feel strange, it's like I'm waiting for something but I don't know what it is._

_Come to think of it. I feel like that too, _Ginny admitted, a soft whine slipped out of her muzzle, _It doesn't feel as strong when I'm a wolf though._

_I got that too, I just didn't want to sound stupid._

_I think it may be because of the full moon only being a few days away, we should ask Remus he might know,_ she suggested, Shadow nodded.

Misty got up and changed into Ginny "I'll shout him." she said going to the top of the stairs.

DOWNSTAIRS

"Remus can you come here a minute?" Ginny's voice drifted down into the living room where everyone had been sitting talking. Remus got up and went upstairs.

"I wonder what their doing now." Dora sighed.

"I think Ginny might need help if Harry's being difficult." Sirius said, "Moony's always been good at helping."

"It might be something to do with being a wolf." James suggested. "Moony's had more experience even if he's not been a Lycan as long as them."

"Could be." Hermione said frowning, "But it doesn't explain how Harry never said anything."

"Maybe he didn't want to look stupid." Ron smirked. "You know what he's like when it comes to looking like an idiot 'Mione."

"I'll bet that's what it is." she grinned.

_Hey Hermione can you ask if any of the other Lycan's been feeling odd today?_ Ginny's voice asked inside Hermione's head making her jump and frown. She repeated the question to the other Lycan's.

They all answered in the negative and Hermione sent that they hadn't back up to Ginny.

"It's definitely something to do with being a wolf then." Cissy said. "If their asking that question."

"Yes but the question is why do they ask that question?" Fleur asked.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Dudley shrugged. "If it was something bad we'd hear about it, right?" he asked.

"Most likely." Hermione smiled, "That's one thing Harry is good at, getting news to people quickly."

Just then Remus walked back in.

"They've both had an odd feeling all day apparently, I can't think of what it could be except the full moon approaching." he explained sitting back down next to Dora. "They'll be down in a minute." as soon as he finished speaking there was a few bangs and two wolves, Shadow and Misty, came tumbling down the stairs. Shadow landed sprawled on his stomach and Misty landed going across his back so they looked like an 'X'.

"You two okay?" Ron asked. Shadow changed into Harry.

"We're fine Ron." Harry wheezed, "Gin? Mind getting off me your heavy." he groaned. Misty got up and shoved his head with her nose. "No fair." he complained as the wolf changed into a glaring Ginny.

"I told you, you would fall going down the stairs." she snapped. The others laughed a little at that.

"How did you fall? You were behind me." he asked confused, choosing to ignore her earlier comment.

"I was trying to stop you from falling." she shook her head, "But your foot knocked mine and I lost my balance."

"Oop's." he said grinning sheepishly.

"Are you two sure your okay?" Molly asked.

"Positive." they both replied.

"Well if your sure." she said looking concerned as Harry rubbed his back. They both were surrounded by a blue light for a minute before it faded.

"See? We're fine. It wont even leave a bruise, Mum." Ginny smirked. "The advanced healing took care of it."

"Okay then." Molly smiled, reassured that they were okay.

"How did you fall anyway?" Amber asked picking up Cecelia who had woken up and was gurgling to get attention.

"Umm... My paw may have slipped." Harry blushed. Everyone laughed slighty at that.

"I told you your paw would slip at the speed you were going." Ginny pointed out through her laughter.

Harry shrugged. "Let's take a break for dinner. It's 5.30." he added. Everyone nodded and went through to the kitchen.

Just as Molly and the other women started to cook Ginny spoke up.

"Mum? Do you have any raw meat?" she asked.

"Of course dear, do you want some the same way Bill has his?" she replied, Ginny nodded.

"Me too actually." Harry put in.

"Any one else?" Molly asked, Remus, Ron and Hermione nodded as did Petunia and Dudley.

"Gross, how can you eat meat that's practically raw?" Cissy asked.

"Cravings." Harry told her, "It's part of the Lycan virus."

"Okay... Then how can you eat it Bill?" Lily asked, she was chopping vegetables with her wand.

"I got attacked by Fenrir Greyback a few years ago that's how I got these." Bill replied, pointing at the scars on his face, "Since then any meat I've ate has to be almost raw or it tastes horrid."

"Though Greyback, luckily, wasn't transformed at the time so he's not a full werewolf." Remus added. "I think it's just the whole having your meat more raw thing isn't it?" Bill nodded.

"Fair enough." James said. "But since when did Greyback start attacking when he's not transformed?"

"He developed a taste for flesh and blood in human from." Hermione growled. Those who hadn't known looked revolted.

"It really was only a matter of time though." Remus put in. "He has bitten so many people and children and he allowed his wolf to take over. The wolf likes blood therefore his human side, if you could call it that, likes blood." he explained.

Everyone split into their own conversations after that.

* * *

><p>DRACO AND ASTORIA'S CONVERSATION<p>

"So Astoria, when do you want to have the wedding?" Draco asked.

"I was thinking after christmas but before new year." she replied. "Even though the baby bump would be visible. I'm not bothered if it shows." she explained, "I'd be 6 months by then and probably pretty big." she added.

Draco nodded, "That sounds reasonable. Where do you want to get married though? There's many places, and we could have the reception at the Mannor." he said.

Astoria nodded, "Well I have been thinking... I think we should get married at Hogwarts, down by the lake, it's beautiful there. I'm not sure if we would be allowed though." she admitted.

"Your right about it being nice down there. We could always ask Minerva later." he replied. She nodded smiling, "We can discuss the rest later. Obviously we will need to speak to your parent's before we decide anything else. I'm sure they will help with decorations and sending invites to people from your side of the family." he smiled putting a hand over her flat stomach.

"That's true. I'll owl them and tell them that we will both pop over tonight to talk things over." she sighed placing her own hand on top of his, "I just don't know how Daphne is going to react."

"She'll be fine, eventually. You just need to get her exited that she's going to be an Auntie." he smirked making her giggle, "But we can deal with that later. There's something I need to ask you."

"Yes?"

"When do you want to ask Harry and Ginny to change us into Lycan's?" he asked, "Since we talked the other night and decided we'd like to be Lycan's the next step would be asking them." he added.

"After dinner." she said.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "After dinner it is then."

"Harry? Ginny?" Bill asked making the two look up, "I've thought and, I have discussed it with Fleur and she agrees with me," Fleur nodded, "I would like to be a Lycan."

"Okay, we can change you after dinner if you want?" Ginny said smiling, Bill nodded gratefully.

"I'd rather be a Lycan than be half a werewolf, plus it would get rid of these bloody scars." he chuckled.

"Not zat there's anything wrong with zem." Fleur said, "But I theenk they just remind you of when Greyback attacked."

"True, I don't want anything to do with that monster and it will be better actually changing into a wolf." he admitted. "Especially with the prejudices against werewolves being half a one is worse because people don't know how to treat you."

"That sounds about right." Harry nodded. "There might still be prejudices against Lycan's but it shouldn't be as bad at the ones against werewolves."

Just then Draco cut in, "Hey Harry I couldn't help but over hear you there. Astoria and I were going to wait until after dinner but..."

"We want to be Lycan's too." Astoria finished for him.

"Okay. Harry that remind's me Neville and Luna asked earlier too." Ginny said suddenly.

"Right so that's 5 people to be changed tonight. No problem but maybe we should ask Ron and Hermione to help again." Harry said, "They can help when it comes to the walking on four legs part."

"Good idea." Ginny nodded, she turned around and told Neville and Luna that they would be changed after dinner.

"So Kingsley when should we tell them about the new approved plan for Hogwarts?" Minerva asked quietly, so she wouldn't be overheard.

"After dinner." he replied equally quiet. "There's no point telling them now just to be interrupted by dinner." he explained.

"I guess your right." she chuckled, "I think they are going to be shocked, don't you."

"A little yes, but they have heard your plan about the three extra years before." he commented, "I think the thing that will shock them most is the amount of Muggleborns that were supposed to be there last year that didn't attend." he said sadly. "Only 8 of them out of 20 survived." he sighed, "So this year those same 8 need extra lessons to do 1st and 2nd year..."

"And go into 3rd with the other 12/13 year old's next year." Minerva finished for him. "Which means we will have 8 twelve-year olds studying 1st and 2nd year this year."

Just then Molly announced dinner was ready and, with the help of the other women, served the food.

As soon as everyone had finished eating Minerva spoke up. "Everybody I have an announcement." she said getting their attention immediately, "With Kingsley's help the proposal of three extra years at Hogwarts has been granted and approved although it wont go into place until 2000, the turn of the century." everybody clapped, "And for those who wish to return. If you are still interested in helping with the Muggleborn class of student's who will be studying their 1st and 2nd years next year, I have the number of students confirmed." she added unhappily.

"How many? You don't sound too happy." Harry asked hesitantly.

"Your not going to like this." Kingsley warned. "There's only 8 of them, it was supposed to be 20 but all of them were injured during raids by the Death Eaters."

Most people were shocked. "What happened to the others?" Hermione asked.

"Killed." Minerva sighed, "The Death Eaters got them. These 8 were lucky, since they weren't allowed to attend school last year due to the Death Eater's having control they'll do 2 years in one this year and join their year-mates in 3rd year next year." she explained.

"20 students were injured and only 8 survived." Petunia asked numbly, Minerva nodded, "Those poor kids." she whispered.

"You know I'm glad I'm a murderer." Harry spat. "They wouldn't have stood a chance if Voldemort was still around."

"Harry! How many times do we have to tell you? Voldemort was a monster not a person. He never had enough human in him to ever be a person." Ron said impatiently.

"Fine! I murdered a monster then! At the end of the day it's still murder." Harry retorted.

"Harry shut up." Hermione advised, "You are not a murderer so get used to it."

Harry huffed but didn't argue.

"Well what do you know it's a record." Ginny snorted. At everyone's confused looks she added, "This idiot," she nudged Harry, "has lasted 2 months without us having to tell him he's not a murderer."

"No he's not." Hermione huffed. "Me and Ron had to tell him about 2 and a half weeks ago." Harry glared at her.

"That's not a record then." Ginny corrected her earlier statement. "How come I wasn't told you had to tell him?" she asked.

"I told them not to." Harry admitted going red.

"Why?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"I know you worry that I'll run again and I didn't want an argument." Harry sighed.

"When did you run before?" James asked gently.

"At the end of the war." Harry replied, "I couldn't cope with the death's." he admitted, "So I ran."

"What death's?" Remus asked.

"Your's, Dora's and Fred's." Harry replied. "I couldn't cope losing three people close to me in one night added with the other's who died that night."

"We couldn't find him for about two weeks." Molly told them.

"Where did you go?" Regulus asked.

"You're not going to believe this but... Grimmauld Place." Harry replied. "I asked Kreacher to make it so no one could get in."

Those who didn't know were shocked.

"Kreacher listened to you? How?" Sirius asked.

"Well when he was left to me we still hated each other but when the three of us left to go into hiding, something, that you will find out later, happened. Long story short Kreacher's nice to everybody now." Harry explained.

Sirius snorted, "Somehow I don't beleive that."

"I can prove it." Harry said. "Kreacher!" he called. There was a 'CRACK' and the old elf appeared.

"Yes Master Harry?" he croaked.

"Kreacher I have something to explain to you so please listen, and don't worry you're not in trouble." Harry said, he then explained to the elf about the returnees. When he had done the elf looked around and saw Regulus.

"Master Regulus has returned." Kreacher ran and hugged his leg happily.

"Hello Kreacher." Regulus smiled patting him on the back.

Kreacher released him and turned to the other returnees, "Master Remus and Mistress Dora it is nice to see you again." he croaked with a bow, "And it is nice to meet Master Harry's parents." he bowed again, he hesitated when he looked at Sirius, "Master Sirius." he said uncertainly.

"Kreacher." Sirius replied cooly.

"Kreacher would like to... Apologise to Master Sirius for being bad before Master Sirius's death." the elf blurted out before bowing, "Kreacher would also like to apologise for being horrible through Master's childhood."

Sirius was shocked, "Did Harry tell you to say that?" he asked.

"No Master Sirius. Kreacher really is sorry."

"I told you Kreacher is nice now." Harry said smugly as the elf nodded.

"Well... I can't forgive you streight away Kreacher, but I can try." Sirius decided.

"Kreacher would like that very much." the elf smiled toothily, he turned back to Harry, "Would Master Harry like anything?" he asked.

"Not right now Kreacher maybe later." Harry replied, "Can you go back to Hogwarts to help?" the elf nodded and was gone with a 'CRACK!'.

"What did you do to him? I thought my charming mother had him brainwashed." Sirius said.

"Easy, we were nice to him. He even listens to me now." Hermione smirked, "I told you and so did Dumbledore that you should have been nice to him."

"It only took us being nice to him once for him to start respecting us, we kept being nice to him so he kept being nice to us." Ron added.

"I told you when we were growing up to be nice to him." Regulus grinned.

"Well... I didn't see that one coming." Sirius admitted. "He really has changed, huh?"

"He has. When I ran and hid in Grimmauld I told him not to let anybody in at all. So he listened and closed number 12 off." Harry said. "He would go get food and things even though I barely ate anything."

"And we checked but none of us could enter the house." Kingsley explained, "So we thought he wasn't there."

"But eventually I thought Kreacher might know where Harry was hiding." Hermione spoke up, "So myself, Ginny and Ron went to the grassy park outside Grimmauld and I called on Kreacher."

"He answered and I asked him if he knew where Harry was he said he did but had been forbidden to tell." Ron put in glaring at Harry, "Then Ginny found a loophole that Kreacher couldn't see and Harry never thought of."

"Kreacher is tied to Harry magically now so that means he has to listen to Harry's family." Ginny smirked, "So I told him we are Harry's family even if were not related by blood."

"That's quite clever." Remus nodded. "And it's true."

"So he naturally had to listen to them after that. He allowed only Ginny into the house at first though." Harry said confused. "I still don't know why."

"He was afraid Harry. Afraid you wouldn't be happy with him." Ginny said, "And since Ron and Hermione agreed that it was probably best If I talked to you first, they left to go tell everyone that we found you, and I came into find you." she explained.

"Fair enough." he said.

"Anyway I went in and Kreacher took me to where he was. When I finally found Harry I didn't like what I saw." Ginny frowned. "He was passed out in the first floor bathroom with blood on his shirt around his chest, and he was so skinny I could literally see all his bones."

Harry blushed. "I was in a bad way. I refused to get help, I told Kreacher I was fine but he still worried."

"We all did." Hermione said frowning, "After Ginny found you we appeared with Kingsley and Molly. We went in the house after talking to Kreacher again and he led us to where you were. We got you to Hogwarts immediately."

"Thank you again for not taking me to St Mungo's." Harry smiled, "Too many nosey people there."

"That's what we thought and obviously Poppy healed you from..."

"I'd rather you not say what it was from just yet." Harry cut Minerva off. "I'll show the memories of it." he said, "I'm reluctant to do it but you need to know what I was thinking." he explained.

"Life has never been easy for you has it?" Dudley asked.

"Never." Harry sighed.

"That make me feel even more like a git." Dudley admitted, "Sorry Harry."

"It's okay Dud." he replied.

"By the end of these memories you will see just how much the three of us went through." Hermione sighed, "Sure there were good times but there's a lot of bad to counter that."

"Like in your 4th year?" Fleur asked.

"Kind of... that was one of the worst though." she replied.

"More like in your 5th year then?" Luna asked.

Harry shook his head. "More like our 6th year." he said. "Or our 3rd year." he smiled. "Those were the years we had almost more good points than bad."

"Yeah those were probably the best two." Ron agreed. "Even if me and 'Mione were fighting or arguing most of 3rd." he blushed.

"You two fought every year." Ginny rolled her eyes. "It was considered normal for you two." she giggled.

"Yeah, it was mostly me who had to put up with it, so consider yourself lucky Gin." Harry chuckled. "Right it's 7.30 so shall we go upstairs and we can change those who want to be changed?" he asked, they all nodded and the ones who didn't want to be changed went into the living room. The group of people being changed as well as Ron and Hermione went upstairs, Fleur staying with Bill for support.

About 20 minutes later Harry, Ginny and Fleur walked into the living room.

"All done. They decided their names upstairs so may we introduce..." Harry started.

"Storm!" Ginny finished. A light grey wolf with little bits of red through its fur walked into the room. The wolf was about 6 foot 1" tall with quite a bit of muscle, he had blue eyes just a little darker than Paw's which were glowing faintly. "We're not telling you who it is, you have to guess." Ginny grinned.

"I'm gonna guess it's Bill." Charlie said immediately.

"Your right." Fleur said smiling as Storm changed into a grinning, scar less, Bill. He was a little taller than he'd been before and a bit more muscled.

"Your scars are gone." Molly said happily, she got up and hugged her eldest son.

"On to the next wolf... Crystal!" Harry announced. A white wolf with dark grey ears and a light grey tail walked into the room and looked around, it had dark grey eyes that glowed and was around 5 foot 10" tall.

"Hmm... I think it's Astoria." Andy said, the wolf nodded and changed into her human form.

"What gave me away?" she asked.

"Your posture. You stand differently because you're pregnant and have a slight bump in wolf form, no matter that your only two months along and don't have a bump as a human yet." Andy pointed out smirking.

"Fair enough." Astoria grinned.

"The next wolf is... Snowstorm." Ginny announced. This time the wolf that walked in was 5 foot 9" tall, and was pure white with a little grey on its front left leg, it had stormy grey eyes that glowed like the others.

"That's definitely Draco." Sirius smirked.

"Glowing or not that's definitely the eyes of a Black." Regulus agreed as the wolf changed into Draco who shrugged.

"You got me." he said smirking. "Who's next?"

"Blue is next." Ginny answered. A big wolf about 6 foot tall walked in, it had light brown-ish-black fur with a few white parts and bright blue eyes exactly like Paws.

"I'm going to take a guess here and say it's Neville." Lily said, "Since it's a boy's name and Neville is the only boy who hasn't come in yet."

The wolf turned into Neville, "Nice reasoning." he smiled.

"And finally... Silver." Harry grinned. The last wolf to walk in was white with blonde markings over it's back and hips, it was about 5 foot 10" tall.

"Clearly Luna." Dora smiled. The wolf nodded and changed back to human like the rest. Everybody had noticed that the newly made Lycan's were a little taller but Bill had changed the most with the loss of his scars.

"I have noticed something though." Lily said. "Draco's the first wolf with only one marking."

"That's because I don't have many scar's that are noticeable." Draco explained. "There are some on my chest but they blend in because there white too." he added. "And the one on my front left leg is the easiest to guess." he muttered darkly.

"Yeah you got lucky." Ginny nodded, "Harry is probably the worst." she winced.

"There's no doubt about that." Harry agreed, also wincing, "It comes with having an idiot and his minions out to kill you. Besides there's some scars you lot don't know exist." he added. "Or can't see."

"Where?" Hermione asked, he pointed to the left side of his chest. "Oh I never knew it showed up on your fur. Ron and I knew it was there." she explained, as Ron nodded.

"I did too." Ginny said, "And I noticed it did show up on your fur, I saw it when we were play fighting a few days ago."

Most people looked confused, "You will find out how that one is different to the rest later on, we should continue with the memories." Harry said decisively, going over to the pensive.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 - Second Year (Part 3.5)

7th, August, 1998. 3.00pm.

"We're skipping until the next day when we're heading down to Herbology." Harry smiled.

"Skipping the Howler more like it." Fred smirked.

"Such a relief for it to be sent to Ron instead of us." George added.

"Well we really don't need to show it." Ron said hurriedly, "Just know it was bad. And the first and last time I got a Howler from Mum."

"You deserved that one Ronald Billius Weasley." Molly growled.

"I didn't say I didn't." Ron shrugged, "Looking back on it we were stupid. Funny how you didn't send one to Harry." he muttered.

"He didn't know how to work the car." Arthur frowned, "You did though. I don't think we had ever been as angry as we were after that."

Ron and Harry blushed and looked down guiltily. "Sorry." they both mumbled as the memory started.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing:**

**Hermione seemed to think they had now been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again.**

"What were you doing before? Giving them the cold shoulder?" Remus asked, having done that many times to Sirius and James during their time at Hogwarts.

"No, I was just snapping at them all the time, giving them lectures about every single thing, pretty much just annoying them because I know they didn't like it and still don't like it." Hermione replied cheerfully as the boys glared at her.

**As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches now in slings.**

**Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.**

**"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..."**

"Bloody git doesn't know anything." Remus growled.

**"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.**

**There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before ****-**** greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out.**

**"Harry! I've been wanting a word ****-**** you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"**

"NO!" Sirius yelled. "Don't let him take you!"

**Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.**

"Git." the twins muttered.

**"Harry," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he shook his head. "Harry, Harry, Harry."**

**Completely nonplussed, Harry said nothing.**

**"When I heard ****-**** well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself."**

"What the hell is he talking about this time?" James asked confused.

**Harry had no idea what he was talking about. He was about to say so when Lockhart went on, "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry."**

**It was remarkable how he could show every one of those brilliant teeth even when he wasn't talking.**

**"Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart. "Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."**

"Harry doesn't need your help for that, you git. He's the bloody Boy-Who-Lived." Sirius hissed. He really hated Lockhart.

"I think we only have ourselves to blame for this." Remus said.

James frowned. "And why is that?"

"We're the ones who gave Lockhart the taste of publicity and now look where he is." Remus said.

James groaned after a few minutes of thinking. "I forgot about that. It really is our fault."

"What?" Regulus asked. The others looked confused as well.

"Lockhart was being picked on by some seventh year Slytherin's. We looked for any reason to hex or prank Slytherin's, so this was a great opportunity." James said.

"Lockhart heard about our plans to prank the Slytherin's and said he wanted in to get back at them for bullying him. We let him help since we thought he might give our plans away if we didn't and it was just one prank he was helping us with." Remus continued. "The prank went off perfectly and everyone loved it. Lockhart saw this and then went around telling everyone that he was the one who did it and made it sound much more extravagant than it actually was."

"It was annoying as hell. We never let anyone join us in our pranks again after that unless we knew them personally." Sirius said. "Lockhart even tried to steal credit for some of our pranks after that, but we made sure he never tried that again."

Hermione frowned. "What did you do to him?"

"Just played a little trick on him, that scared him really badly so he would never steal our credit again." James replied in a tone that clearly said 'you really don't want to know so don't ask'.

**"Oh, no, Professor, see ****-****"**

**"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping his shoulder. "I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've had that first taste ****-**** and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head ****-**** but see here, young man, you can't start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!' But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now.****"**

"Did that idiot just call Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, who is more famous than him a nobody?" Sirius asked.

**"****In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" He glanced at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I know ****-**** it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times in a row, as I have ****-**** but it's a start, Harry, it's a start."**

"He's really an idiot. It's better than that." Lily scoffed.

**He gave Harry a hearty wink and strode off. Harry stood stunned for a few seconds, then, remembering he was supposed to be in the greenhouse, he opened the door and slid inside.**

**Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench. When Harry had taken his place between Ron and Hermione, she said, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"**

"Hermione knows!" Sirius exclaimed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

**To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air.**

"I was right!" Sirius sang.

"No duh, Padfoot. She knows everything." James replied.

**"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook.**

"Thanks Harry. Thanks a lot for that lovely comment." Hermione muttered sarcastically.

"Sorry Hermione." he blushed, "At that time I wasn't expecting to share my thought was I?" he asked rhetorically.

**"It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."**

**"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"**

**Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again.**

"Whoops. Didn't know I did that." Hermione said. "Sorry Harry."

"I'll forgive you for that if you ignore my imagination and odd thoughts." he said grinning.

"Deal." she agreed smiling.

**"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.**

**"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."**

**She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn't have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the "cry" of the Mandrake.**

**"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.**

**There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.**

**"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right ****-**** earmuffs on."**

**Harry snapped the earmuffs over his ears. They shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.**

**Harry let out a gasp of surprise that no one could hear.**

**Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.**

"They are ugly little things." Remus said.

**Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.**

**"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she'd just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. "However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up.****Four to a tray ****-**** there is a large supply of pots here ****-**** compost in the sacks over there ****-**** and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it's teething."**

**She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy Harry knew by sight but had never spoken to.**

**"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter... And you're Hermione Granger ****-**** always top in everything" (Hermione beamed as she had her hand shaken too) "**** -**** and Ron Weasley. Wasn't that your flying car?"**

**Ron didn't smile. The Howler was obviously still on his mind.**

"I don't understand that. He loves attention, but when someone comes along who knows him and speaks to him, he ignores them." Hermione muttered to herself.

"I heard that." Ron said, "And it was the wrong time for anyone to mention the car." he muttered.

**"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if Id been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf,****"**

"No, he would have died via being eaten." Remus muttered darkly.

**"****but he stayed cool and ****-**** zap ****-**** just fantastic.****My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family..."**

"He's a Muggleborn then." Remus said.

"Yes." Harry confirmed.

**After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.**

**By the end of the class, Harry, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration.**

**Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Harry had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of his head during the summer. He was supposed to be turning a beetle into a button,**

"That's not hard." James said.

"We don't all have your skill in Transfiguration, Prongs." Sirius retorted.

**but all he managed to do was give his beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desktop avoiding his wand.**

**Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased.**

**Harry was relieved to hear the lunch bell. His brain felt like a wrung sponge. Everyone filed out of the classroom except him and Ron, who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk.**

**"Stupid ****-**** useless ****-**** thing ****-****"**

**"Write home for another one," Harry suggested as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker.**

**"Oh, yeah, and get another Howler back," said Ron, stuffing the now hissing wand into his bag.**

"We would have gotten you a new one, broken ones are dangerous." Molly frowned.

"Nobody in their right mind would risk getting two Howlers within a month." Ron pointed out.

"He's got a point Mum. Even we didn't go that far." Fred added.

"Yeah, ours were only 3 or 4 a year." George nodded, "And it's not exactly like we stayed in the Great Hall when we did get one."

"You should've grabbed it and ran for it." Charlie told Ron.

"You still should've told us about your wand being broken." Arthur said sternly.

"The wand was annoying and dangerous but it helped us out at the end of the year." Harry added

"We managed to deal with anything it did." Hermione added.

**"'It's your own fault your wand got snapped ****-'****"**

**They went down to lunch, where Ron's mood was not improved by Hermione's showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration.**

"Is there anything you can't do?" Sirius asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm sure there are a lot of things I can't do, flying for an example. I can't fly too well."

**"What've we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject.**

**"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once.**

**"Why," demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"**

"Did you?" Sirius asked. Hermione didn't answer.

**Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.**

"I think the answer is yes, Padfoot." James said. Sirius snickered.

Hermione glared at him with a faint pink on her cheeks.

**They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousy-haired boy he'd seen trying on the Sorting Hat last night staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.**

**"All right, Harry? I'm ****-**** I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward.**

"I miss Colin." Harry sighed, "Even if he was annoying at times."

"What happened to him?" Fred asked curiously.

"He was killed the same night you were. He snuck back to the castle to help." Minerva sniffed.

"Oh." Fred said softly.

"There was around 50 people killed that night." Hermione added. "On the light side anyway."

"About 80 on Voldemort's side." Charlie put in.

**"I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think ****-**** would it be all right if ****-**** can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.**

**"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly.**

**"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" ****-**** he looked imploringly at Harry ****-**** "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"**

**"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?"**

"Great, now Draco is there." Sirius growled.

"How do you know it's me?" Draco asked.

"Snape and the Marauders were enemies. We always turned up at the worst moment for him or he turned up at the worse moments for us." James replied. "It's always that way between people who hate each other."

"Fair enough." he admitted.

**Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"**

**"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy."**

**"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.**

**"Jealous?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."**

**Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.**

**"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily. Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.**

**"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. "'If you put another toe out of line'**** -****"**

"Someone punch him!" Sirius exclaimed. "No offence Draco." he added.

"None taken." he replied.

**A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this.**

**"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house ****-****"**

**Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, "Look out!"**

"Look out for what?" James asked.

"Probably a teacher or Prefect showing up," Remus said.

"But Hermione was reading. How would she see that?" Sirius asked.

Hermione chuckled, "Wasn't hard to miss with his bright turquoise robes."

James groaned. "Great. More Lockhart."

**"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giving out signed photos?"**

**Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"**

**Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd.**

**"Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you."**

**Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes.**

**"Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side.**

**"A word to the wise, Harry," said Lockhart paternally as they entered the building through a side door. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey ****-**** if he was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much..."**

"Git." George muttered.

**Deaf to Harry's stammers, Lockhart swept him down a corridor lined with staring students and up a staircase.**

**"Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible ****-**** looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but" ****-**** he gave a little chortle ****-**** "I don't think you're quite there yet."**

"I think someone should hit him and knock him off his high stead." Cissy commented.

"That's what I told his healer last week." Neville mused, "Well... More along the lines of 'why not knock some sense into him, literally', she wasn't too happy but couldn't throw me out." he chuckled.

"His healer?" Sirius asked.

"He's in St Mungo's psychiatric Ward for long-term damage, the same ward as my parents." he explained. "I don't know exactly what happened to him."

"The best thing is that it was his own fault." Harry grinned. "Something to do with a back-firing obliviate."

"What?" Andy asked confused, "I was called into look at him and it didn't look like that." she explained, "Looked more like he was hit with an Erasa."

"Nope, it was a Obliviate." Ron smirked, "You'll see exactly what happened later."

**They had reached Lockhart's classroom and he let Harry go at last. Harry yanked his robes straight and headed for a seat at the very back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart's books in front of him, so that he could avoid looking at the real thing.**

"Thank Merlin. Who would want to look at him?" Sirius said.

**The rest of the class came clattering in, and Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of Harry.**

**"You could've fried an egg on your face" said Ron. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."**

Ginny glared at Ron but didn't do much more.

"Hope they don't. You don't want a fan club." Sirius said fearfully.

Harry sighed. "Don't tell me. You and Dad had your own fan clubs too?"

James frowned, "Yep. They formed in our third year."

Remus laughed. "These two loved them at first, but after a while the fan clubs started to become dangerous because all the girls were getting jealous of who James and Sirius were dating. James and Sirius got really scared of their fan clubs after the girls started to ambush them on their dates. Some of the girls even tried to drag them away to snog them. These two started to use the invisibility cloak to get everywhere in the school to hide from the girls."

Everybody laughed.

James and Sirius pouted. "It's not nice to laugh at our pain."

"Moony didn't even help us." James said. "When he was a Prefect he could have stopped it, but he thought it was funny and refused to help."

"Well that could have been revenge." Remus grinned. "For you being annoying." everyone laughed again.

**"Shut up," snapped Harry. The last thing he needed was for Lockhart to hear the phrase "Harry Potter fan club"**

**When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.**

**"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class,****"**

"How did that git get an Order of Merlin?" James asked.

**"****Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"**

**He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.**

**"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books****"**

"Well, they were on the book list, you prat." Bill said.

**"-**** well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about ****-**** just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in ****-****"****When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes ****-**** start ****- ****now!"**

**Harry looked down at his paper and read:**

**1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?**

**2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**

**3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?**

**On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:**

**54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?**

"Full of himself, isn't he?" James said.

"Sheesh! He's worse than James, Sirius and Remus." Lily said.

"Hey! I was never that arrogant." Remus protested.

Lily raised a brow. "You did have some arrogance. You stalked around the school like a king with James and Sirius." Remus pouted as most others laughed.

**Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.**

**"Tut, tut ****-**** hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully ****-**** I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples ****-**** though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of O****d****ge****n****s Old Firewhisky!"**

**He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.**

Sirius was going to comment until he noticed Hermione had her wand in her hand and was twirling it threateningly.

**"... but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions ****-**** good girl! In fact" ****-**** he flipped her paper over ****-**** "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"**

Sirius looked at the wand that was still in Hermione's hand and decided to keep his mouth shut.

**Hermione raised a trembling hand.**

**"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so ****-**** to business ****-****"**

**He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.**

**"Now ****-**** be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."**

**In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.**

"I don't know why I sat at the front." Neville admitted.

**"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."**

**As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.**

"Probably something really dull." Remus said. "Lockhart was never really good in Defense."

"Then how did he get the job?" Regulus asked.

"Probably the only one who applied for the job," James replied.

Minerva nodded, "We couldn't find anyone willing to take it that year, except him." she sighed.

**"Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies."**

"Pixies?" Lily wrinkled her nose and glared at the Marauders.

"Do we want to know?" Hermione asked after seeing the look.

James smirked. "It's a wonderful story."

Minerva snorted. "These three thought it would be funny to release Cornish pixies in the Great Hall at the start of term feast in their 3rd year. Gave the new first years quite a scare."

Everyone chuckled or giggled.

"I remember that." Kingsley commented. "I was only a year below them." he explained, "It was quite annoying trying to catch them all." he frowned.

"Oop's." James chuckled. "Mind you we had done worse."

"Too true. Like when you charmed certain steps on the stairs to shout different embarrassing things, like who loves who and what colour underwear someone was wearing." Lily shook her head. "That was in our 7th year just after Easter."

"Which is why I insisted on walking you everywhere, we knew where the steps were and which ones did what." James smirked.

"Well I must say that was quite amusing." Minerva admitted, "If a little annoying. That's why I went around the castle as a cat after figuring out they didn't register for animals."

"I told you she knew, Prongs." Remus chuckled.

"Albus knew as well." she added, "So he had Fawkes transport him around all day or used a spell to see where the charms were."

**Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.**

**"Yes?" He smiled at Seamus.**

**"Well, they're not ****-**** they're not very ****- ****dangerous, are they?" Seamus choked.**

"No, they're not. They are more like pranksters in mini-blue form." Fred said.

**"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"**

**The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.**

**"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.**

"THAT IDIOT!" Lily screamed. "HOW COULD HE RELEASE THEM BEFORE TELLING YOU HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM?"

The Lycan's in the room rubbed their ears. "Please stop screaming, Lily." Remus asked. "Although I agree he shouldn't have done that."

"You would have thought he had learned from when we released them in the Great Hall." Sirius commented.

"Especially since he got hung up on a torch bracket by the back of his robes." James agreed.

**It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air.**

**Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.**

**"Come on now ****-**** round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted.**

**He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"**

"That's not even a spell." Remus said.

"There is no way this idiot wrote those books." Lily said.

**It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.**

"Oh, were you okay?" Luna asked worriedly.

"I was perfectly fine." Neville replied. "Just a bump."

**The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.**

"He left you there alone with the pixies?" James asked shocked.

**"Can you believe him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.**

**"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Hermione, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage.**

"Aren't you suppose to be the smart one, Hermione?" Sirius asked.

"I thought he wrote all the books and I admired him for everything he supposedly did." Hermione huffed.

"Supposedly did?" James questioned. "So he didn't do any of that stuff?"

Harry groaned and hit his forehead. "You weren't suppose to know that yet. But no he didn't, he was a fake."

**"Hands on?" said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing ****-****"**

**"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books ****-**** look at all those amazing things he's done ****-****"**

**"He says he's done," Ron muttered.**

"That's the end of the memory. Two minutes." Harry added getting up and going to change the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 - Second Year (Part 4)

7th, August, 1998. 7.30pm.

"Right this one is going to be a surprise." Harry said as Teddy woke up. "Uh oh." he said noticing this.

"Unca Har!" the little boy shouted upon noticing he was closest, Harry went over and picked him up, "Wet." he announced.

"Who do you want to change you?" Harry asked, Teddy thought for a minute.

"Mummy." he decided. Harry passed him to Dora.

"We can wait until you get back." Harry told her and she smiled gratefully before heading upstairs to change Teddy's nappy.

"Why did you say 'Uh oh'?" Luna asked.

"Because there's something in this memory Teddy can't hear." Harry said. "I'll set up charms so we can hear him but he cant hear us." he decided.

"Harry... is this the memory I think it is?" Draco asked slowly.

"Um... if its the eat slugs one then yes." he replied.

Draco groaned. "Do you have to show this one?"

"Yes." he replied, "Or shall we just explain this one?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Explain it." they both replied. "But show the visit to Hagrid's it's quite amusing." Hermione added.

"Okay." Harry agreed as Dora came back in with Teddy. Teddy reached for Harry so Harry took him off of Dora. "We're just explaining part of this memory." Harry told her. "Basically what happens is Wood calls an early Quidditch practice so I got ready and went to meet the rest of the team."

"We sat there for about 2 hours listening to Wood." Fred complained.

"As if, both of you were sleeping." Harry scoffed.

"We have to give him that one Fred." George chuckled.

"Then once Wood had stopped talking and went outside only to be met by Ron, Hermione and the Slytherin Quidditch team, they had a note from Snape saying they had the pitch 'in order to train their new seeker'."

"Which was me." Draco added, "Didn't Colin Creevey follow you down? He was in the stand's."

"Yes he had heard I was going to practice so he followed me." Harry explained.

"After we found out that Draco was the new Slytherin seeker the team boasted about their new brooms: Nimbus 2001's." Ron put in.

"Then I, stupidly might I add, made fun of the Gryffindor team. Again." Draco groaned.

"Hermione said something along the lines of 'At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, they got in on pure talent.' and Draco didn't like that very much." Harry said frowning, "And he called Hermione a..." he took his wand out and spelled the word 'Mudblood'.

"Draco! You didn't." Cissy said angrily.

"Sorry but I did." he admitted, "And I am very ashamed of myself for that."

"After that Ron went to curse Draco and... well I'll let you see for yourselves." Harry said removing most of the memory and sitting down with Teddy playing happily on his knee. "The 'M' word will be said a few more times but I'll cover Teddy's ears." he told Remus and Dora who nodded gratefully.

**A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.**

"Your wand is broken." Lily said.

"So, you got hit with the spell instead." Remus finished.

"Exactly." Ron groaned.

**"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.**

**Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.**

"Disgusting." Lily said.

"'Dat?" Teddy asked pointing at the memory slugs.

"It's slug's Teddy." Harry said.

"S'ugs." the boy said before going back to playing with some toy keys Andy gave him.

**The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody seemed to want to touch him.**

**"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.**

**"What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin had run down from his seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field. Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front.**

**"Oooh," said Colin, fascinated and raising his camera. "Can you hold him still, Harry?"**

**"Get out of the way, Colin!" said Harry angrily. He and Hermione supported Ron out of the stadium and across the grounds toward the edge of the forest.**

**"Nearly there, Ron," said Hermione as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You'll be all right in a minute ****-**** almost there ****-****"**

**They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.**

**"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly.**

"Great, why is that git there?" Sirius said.

"He's everywhere!" James exclaimed. "He must be trying to show he knows something Hagrid doesn't."

"Wonder what that is." Lily muttered.

**"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one ****-**** I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the castle.**

"Not everyone wants your books, you pr - idiot." Remus growled, changing his words so they were more child friendly.

"He was so full of himself." Astoria shook her head.

"One of the worst." Luna nodded, "Not as bad as the one in the year 95-96."

"No one could be as bad as that toad from hell." Harry muttered darkly. He ignored the confused looks some of the others sent him and the understanding ones the people who knew sent him.

**Harry waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently.**

**Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.**

**"Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me ****-**** come in, come in ****-**** thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again ****-****"**

**Harry and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.**

**"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get 'em all up, Ron."**

**"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand ****-****"**

**Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Harry.**

**"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears.**

**"Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well,"**

"Hagrid doesn't need his help with that. He's the best with magical creatures." Minerva said. "Lockhart was really annoying that way. Though he wouldn't dare try and tell me how to do something." she smirked. "Or Severus, Filius and Albus." she added. "I have my mastery in Transfiguration, Severus had his in Potions and nobody told Albus what to do or how to do something." she explained. "Filius was a dueling champion in his time and he's got his mastery in Charms as well."

**growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."**

"Everyone knows he's a fake. Why did he get the job?" Remus asked.

"He was the only one who applied." Minerva frowned. "Since you seemed very evasive to letters." she added.

"I was in a bad place." he muttered, "I was staying with one of the Irish werewolf colonies because it was the best I could find after losing the job I had."

**It was most unlike Hagrid to criticize a Hogwarts' teacher, and Harry looked at him in surprise. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job ****-****"**

**"He was the on'y man for the job," said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle fudge, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin. "An' I mean the on'y one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job.****People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed.****No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron. "Who was he tryin' ter curse?"**

**"Malfoy called Hermione something ****-**** it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild."**

**"It was bad," said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop looking pale and sweaty.**

Harry covered Teddy's ears.

**"Malfoy called her 'Mudblood,' Hagrid ****-****"**

Harry released his Godson's ears, Teddy didn't seem to notice his ears had been covered in the first place.

**Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged.**

Lily smiled. She remembered Hagrid comforting her the first time that happened to her.

**"He didn'!" he growled at Hermione.**

**"He did," she said. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course ****-****"**

"You didn't know?" Remus asked shocked.

"But you know everything!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Sorry, but where was I meant to find a word like that?" Hermione asked. "It's not in any books since most people are civilized and don't use that term"

"Where did you pick it up anyway Draco?" Cissy asked. "I never used at all unless I couldn't help it and never in front of you." she frowned.

"Umm... take a guess." he mumbled.

She sighed, "Lucius."

Draco nodded in confirmation.

**"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up.**

Harry put Teddy in his playpen. "Muffilato." he said pointing his wand towards the playpen. "He should be fine until after this memory." he explained, "He can't hear a thing."

**"Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born ****-**** you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards ****-**** like Malfoy's family ****-**** who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood." He gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin and continued, "I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any difference at all. Look at Neville Longbottom ****-**** he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up."**

"Hey!" Neville said annoyed.

"Sorry Neville." Ron muttered. "But it was partly true."

"Fine. I'll agree with you that I was kind of rubbish until 5th year." he admitted.

"You weren't rubbish. You just needed confidence." Harry said.

"And for the Wrackspurts to leave you alone." Luna said.

"What are Wrackspurts?" Draco asked.

"Invisible flies that go in your ears and make your brain all fuzzy." she replied.

"And they're real too." Harry chuckled at their skeptical looks. "They are." he said. "Me, Ron and Neville have seen them. So has Hermione but she won't admit it." he smirked as Hermione blushed and Neville and Ron nodded.

**"An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta.**

**"It's a disgusting thing to call someone," said Ron, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. "Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."**

"That's the truth but try telling that to a Pure-Blood extremist." Regulus sighed, "They won't listen."

"He has a point. Purebloods can be such idiots." Remus said.

"Isn't that why they incest?" Hermione asked. "So the Purebloods wouldn't die out."

"They do?" Petunia, Amber and Dudley asked shocked.

"Yeah." Sirius replied looking disgusted.

"How did you learn that?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Learned it from Sirius and even if I hadn't, the Black family tree show's it."

"True. I couldn't figure out how to get rid of it." Sirius pouted.

"Sirius you do realise it was the sticking charm I invented when I was 14?" Regulus asked.

Sirius slapped his forehead. "Of course it is. The charm needed replaced around about then, and the old bat of a mother we had, let you do it." he shook his head.

"Oh so you do remember." Regulus smirked.

"Parts of it." Sirius admitted.

"Well you were drunk on wine and Firewhisky." Cissy chuckled. "That's why the charm needed replaced, you knocked the tapestry off the wall."

"It was your fault I got drunk." Sirius scowled. "Well either you or the devil." he smirked.

"If you mean Bella then, yes it was her." Narcissa scoffed, "She left the Firewhisky on your bed to get you in trouble and you drank it all."

"How did you get the wine?" Andy asked.

"My stupid parents had locked me in the wine cellar, so I drank their wine to pass the time." Sirius replied shrugging. "They let me out and I ran away from them to my room where I found the Firewhisky and I drank that too."

"Then Father left and you spent the evening staggering about the house." Regulus grinned, "Then you said, 'I'm going to see the prat of the century' and left."

"Yes and showed up at mine." James laughed, "Oh that was fun to see you try to explain to my Mum why you were drunk at 14."

"It was quite funny." Remus agreed.

"Glad I amused you." Sirius pouted.

"Well I Floo'd Remus so he could get you before you were seen." Regulus said.

"And I tried to get you away but then James's Mum saw you." Remus laughed.

"And you let me suffer!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Nah, I told her what really happened." James said. "She understood you know."

"Come's through the family like then." Sirius snorted.

"What family link?" Harry frowned.

"Padfoot you never told him?" Remus asked.

"I thought he knew!" Sirius defended himself. "Harry I meant to tell you that one of your ancestors was a Black."

Harry was shocked, "Really?"

"Yeah, but we can tell you about it later." James said. Harry just nodded.

**He retched and ducked out of sight again.**

**"Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."**

"I think he would have preferred getting into trouble if it meant he could hex Malfoy." Sirius commented.

"True." Ron smirked.

**Harry would have pointed out that trouble didn't come much worse than having slugs pouring out of your mouth, but he couldn't; Hagrid's treacle fudge had cemented his jaws together.**

"Harry, you should have learned by now that you don't eat Hagrid's food." James said, shaking his head.

"I forgot." Harry admitted sheepishly.

**"Harry," said Hagrid abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. "Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"**

"Hagrid." Lily sighed.

"He's just joking, Mum." Harry replied, smiling.

**Furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart.**

**"I have not been giving out signed photos," he said hotly. "If Lockhart's still spreading that around ****-****"**

**But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing.**

**"I'm on'y jokin'," he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him face first into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."**

"I'm sure he really liked hearing that." James said.

**"Bet he didn't like that," said Harry, sitting up and rubbing his chin.**

**"Don' think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?" he added as Ron reappeared.**

**"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."**

**"Come an' see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as Harry and Hermione finished the last of their tea.**

**In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Harry had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.**

**"Gettin' on well, aren't they?" said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Halloween feast... should be big enough by then."**

**"What've you been feeding them?" said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone.**

**"Well, I've bin givin' them ****-**** you know ****-**** a bit o' help ****-****"**

**Harry noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin.**

"Hagrid." Minerva said in an exasperated voice.

**Harry had had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, he had the strong impression that Hagrid's old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Harry had never found out why ****-**** any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed.**

"I really wonder how he got expelled." Remus said.

"Probably had to do with a big, dangerous animal." James replied.

"That's obvious." Sirius said. "Hagrid loves his animals."

"We find out the truth this year." Ron told them, "So will you."

**"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement.**

"What?" Hermione asked after seeing the glares from Lily and Minerva.

"You're supposed to be the responsible one and not be amused by Hagrid breaking the law." Lily huffed.

"She was halfway between disapproval and amusement, Lily." Sirius said, leaning forward and grinning. "The disapproval was the responsibility and the amusement was the troublemaker. She has both of them in her. How ever do you survive, having those two in you?" Hermione laughed.

**"Well, you've done a good job on them."**

**"That's what yer little sister said," said Hagrid, nodding at Ron. "Met her jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, she wouldn' say no ter a signed ****-****"**

**"Oh, shut up," said Harry. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs.**

**"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.**

"Okay I need to change the memory because were skipping a little bit." Harry said getting up and changing it, "This one is the detentions me and Ron had to serve."

"I had to clean trophies in the trophy room with Filch and I wasn't allowed to use magic." Ron said.

"Oh we had that loads of times." James groaned, "It's the worst."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Harry said grimly, "I had to help Lockhart answer his fan mail."

"Your right that is worse." James agreed.

"And that's where were starting." Harry told them all as the memory started.

**Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight, and Harry was dragging his feet along the second-floor corridor to Lockhart's office. He gritted his teeth and knocked.**

**The door flew open at once. Lockhart beamed down at him.**

**"Ah, here's the scalawag!" he said.**

Remus's eye was starting to twitch. "I don't think I'll survive."

"What's wrong, Remy?" Sirius asked, reverting back to the nickname he gave Remus when they first met.

"I don't think I'll survive a whole year of memories with this idiot." Remus said.

"At least he's only in this year." James muttered.

Hermione smiled. "Not true."

"He comes back?" Remus asked.

Ron laughed, "Just a brief conversation with him in a later year."

Remus groaned.

"How about some chocolate to get you through this, Remus?" Harry suggested.

Remus's perked up. "Chocolate?"

"Kreacher!" Harry called, there was a 'CRACK' and the elf appeared, "Can you bring some chocolate and sweet's here please?" the elf nodded and disapeared again.

Minutes later Kreacher reappeared with some sweet's and chocolate and another elf who was also carrying sweets and chocolate.

"Kreacher asked for help Master Harry." Kreacher explained, "And Winky offered to help."

"Hello Winky." Hermione smiled, "How are the kids?"

"They is fine Miss Hermione." Winky smiled, "They is more trouble everyday just like their father."

"That's good then, tell them we said hello." Harry smiled. Winky nodded and handed him the treats before disappearing with a 'CRACK'.

"Is Master Harry wanting anything else?" Kreacher croaked.

"No that's it for now Kreacher, thank you." he replied taking the treats and starting to pass them around.

"Kreacher will be at Hogwarts if Master Harry shall need him." with that Kreacher disappeared with an overly loud 'CRACK'.

"Winky has kids?" Fred asked, remembering the elf from his trips to the kitchen.

"Yes triplets." Hermione smiled.

"Who's their father?" he asked.

"Dobby was." Harry answered. "He died during the war just before they were born." he explained sadly.

**"Come in, Harry, come in ****-****"**

**Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many candles were countless framed photographs of Lockhart. He had even signed a few of them. Another large pile lay on his desk.**

**"You can address the envelopes!" Lockhart told Harry, as though this was a huge treat.**

**"This first one's to Gladys Gudgeon, bless her ****-**** huge fan of mine ****-****"**

**The minutes snailed by. Harry let Lockhart's voice wash over him, occasionally saying, "Mmm" and "Right" and "Yeah." Now and then he caught a phrase like, "Fame's a fickle friend, Harry," or "Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that."**

"They don't even make sense." Remus said in between bites of chocolate.

**The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many moving faces of Lockhart watching him. Harry moved his aching hand over what felt like the thousandth envelope, writing out Veronica Smethley's address. It must be nearly time to leave, Harry thought miserably, please let it be nearly time...**

**And then he heard something ****-**** something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans.**

**It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom.**

**"Come... come to me... Let me rip you... Let me tear you... Let me kill you..."**

"What the hell?" Sirius said.

"What's going on?" Lily asked fearfully.

Nobody except the Golden Trio, Neville and Luna had noticed Ginny going pale. Harry wrapped an arm around her.

**Harry gave a huge jump and a large lilac blot appeared on Veronica Smethley's street.**

**"What?" he said loudly.**

**"I know!" said Lockhart. "Six solid months at the top of the best-seller list! Broke all records!"**

**"No," said Harry frantically. "That voice!"**

**"Sorry?" said Lockhart, looking puzzled. "What voice?"**

**"That ****-**** that voice that said ****-**** didn't you hear it?"**

"That's not good to hear a voice that no one else hears." Sirius said.

**Lockhart was looking at Harry in high astonishment.**

**"What are you talking about, Harry? Perhaps you're getting a little drowsy? Great Scott ****-**** look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! I'd never have believed it ****-**** the time's flown, hasn't it?"**

**Harry didn't answer. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound now except for Lockhart telling him he mustn't expect a treat like this every time he got detention.**

James snorted. "That's not a treat that's torture."

**Feeling dazed, Harry left.**

**It was so late that the Gryffindor common room was almost empty. Harry went straight up to the dormitory. Ron wasn't back yet. Harry pulled on his pajamas, got into bed, and waited. Half an hour later, Ron arrived, nursing his right arm and bringing a strong smell of polish into the darkened room.**

**"My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking on his bed. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. And then I had another slug attack all over a Special Award for Services to the School. Took ages to get the slime off... How was it with Lockhart?"**

The Golden Trio laughed.

"What are you laughing about?" Sirius asked eating a chocolate frog.

"It was Voldmort's that got covered in slugs." Ron laughed.

"Brilliant." Fred laughed.

"We should put that on the store next to You-Know-Poo." George chuckled, "You-Know-Goo the gross mad-man who slimes like a slug-man."

"Oh we are so putting that up." Fred agreed grinning.

"You-Know-Poo?" Regulus asked confused.

"Yeah we have it on our shop window it's: You-Know-Poo - The constipation sensation that's gripping the nation. Basically it's an extension to the Skiving snackboxes, they're snake shaped bottles filled with drink that make you look sick but don't cause any other effect." George grinned. "We put it up when we first opened the store." everyone laughed, except Minerva and Molly who were looking disapproving.

**Keeping his voice low so as not to wake Neville, Dean, and Seamus, Harry told Ron exactly what he had heard.**

**"And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" said Ron. Harry could see him frowning in the moonlight. "D'you think he was lying? But I don't get it ****-**** even someone invisible would've had to open the door."**

**"I know," said Harry, lying back in his four-poster and staring at the canopy above him. "I don't get it either."**

"That's the end of the memory." Harry said getting up to remove it from the pensive.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 - The Forgotten Gift and The Sleeping Wolves

7th, August, 1998. 8.30pm.

Just as Harry had finished speaking a portal opened and two figures, Life and Death, floated out of it.

"Hello again. We forgot to give you something the first time around it is to help improve the future." Death explained. "Didn't we brother?"

"Yes we did." Life replied. "Mr Harry Potter and Miss Ginevra Weasley please come over here." Harry and Ginny went over to them hesitantly. "Hold your hands out please." they did as they were told. "This will tingle a bit." he warned and they nodded, "Ready Death?"

"Ready."

Both Life and Death placed a hand on one of Harry and Ginny's hand's. Out of Deaths hand a green light came and surrounded his own and one of Harry's hand and one of Ginny's. Life's hand had produced a red light that also surrounded both his and Ginny's hand and Harry's other hand. Then Death spoke in Latin.

"Cum in mortis imperio. Praesta resurrectione hominis potestate. Geminas vires coniungere lingua ei potestatem et imperium animalium et feminam." and his golden light went up Harry's arm and into his chest and a thin beam shot streight up and went through the roof.

"Cum virtute vivere. Prasta Descisions hominis potestate. Et feminam coniungere potest dare virtutem edidisset virtute Amor perseverantia usque in sempiternum." This was what Life said after Death had finished and the red light followed Death's gold into Ginny's chest and went up through the roof as well.

They spoke together this time. "Sic sumus. Sit fiat." And the two beams of light going through the roof joined and Harry and Ginny were surrounded by a brown glowing light. Once the light had fadded both Life and Death released their hand's and they collapsed.

"Thay will wake up when we leave." Life explained. "We don't have much longer."

"Miss Hermione Granger may I leave something with you to give to Mr Potter when he wakes." Hermione nodded and stood up, Death floated over to her and conjured a small stone from thin air. "Tell him it is vital that he keeps this and the wand with him as well as the invisibility cloak at all times." Death said turning the stone into a ring then handing them both to Hermione and she nodded in understanding. "If he has any questions tell him to turn the stone three times and I will appear it will only summon me though not anyone else unlike the old stone, which I found and destroyed, spirits can only be summoned if I'm with them." he added. Hermione nodded again, "And to make the cloak bigger all he has to think is 'Make me larger' and it will cover who ever else is under it making it smaller is the reverse, 'Make me smaller'. Also none of the three can be removed by force only he or Miss Weasley here can remove it, as she is his life mate." he added making everyone nod in understanding.

"We will pass that along but how come you didn't tell my ancestors that?" James asked.

"Your son is the only one worthy of possessing all three safely." Death explained. "He will be able to pass the cloak on when he truly feels it is time. The wand's power will die with him no matter how he dies but it is required in the world for the other two cannot exist without it at the moment." he added.

James nodded in understanding.

Then both Life and Death floated back through the portal and disappeared.

"I'm going to guess that was Life and Death." Petunia said shocked.

"Yeah it was." Lily smiled.

"Nothing will shock me ever again after that." Petunia declared.

"Don't say that Mum. You'll eat your words." Dudley grinned.

"Your probably right." she chuckled.

"That was Latin they were speaking wasn't it?" Sirius asked.

"Yes it was." James replied as Ginny and Harry woke up.

"Woah... That was weird." Harry said. "What was that?"

"They gave you some more powers." James said making everyone look at him. "What?"

"You can speak Latin?" Bill asked.

James nodded. "Quite well. I wanted to learn it so I did, it took three years but I can speak it almost fluently. It helped with a few spells, like with our Animagus incantations." he explained.

"Care to tell us what they did then?" Ginny asked.

"Well Death said: With the power of Death. Grant this man the power of resurrection. And join my twins powers to give him and his mate the power of language and control of animals."

"I'm guessing he means this." Hermione commented looking at the ring in her hand. "Harry, Death said you have to keep this with you at all times and if you have any questions you've to turn it three times and he will appear..." she explained what was said about the wand and cloak as well.

Harry frowned but nodded and took the ring and put it on his index finger on his left hand. "What did Life say then?"

"He said: With the power of Life. Grant this man the power of good decisions. And join my twins powers to give him and his mate the power of Energy, Perseverance and Love for all eternity." James replied. "And just before you passed out they both said: So we intend. So let it be done." he added.

"Okay so that's 5 new types of power?" Ginny asked.

"Apparently." Charlie commented.

"So it's Languages and control of animals from Death. I wonder what Languages means the second is pretty self explanatory." Harry mused.

"Well how well could you speak French?" Fleur asked.

"Not very." they both admitted at the same time.

"Okay, tell me if you understand this." she told them, they nodded. "Cela signifie probablement que vous pouvez comprende et parler des langues differant."

"J'ai compris que." Harry replied shocked.

"Did you realise you just spoke French?" Remus asked.

"Vraiment?" Ginny said.

"What are you saying? It's frustrating not knowing what you are saying." Ron complained.

"I told them: It probably means they can understand and speak different languages. Harry said: I understood that. And Ginny said: Really?" Fleur told them all.

"Cool." Harry grinned going back to English as Ginny nodded.

"Hmm... What do you suppose Life meant by: Energy, Perseverance and Love for all eternity?" Ginny asked.

"I think he meant you will always Love each other. You will always have Energy and you will Persevere when it counts." Hermione put in.

They all nodded.

"Okay I don't know about the rest of you but I'm tired so I'm going to head to bed." Harry said yawning.

"Yeah I feel like I haven't slept for days." Ginny added.

"It's only 9.00." Ron told them.

"Yeah but I suppose what Life and Death did took some energy." Dora commented.

"It did." Harry said simply before changing into Shadow and curling into a ball, falling asleep almost instantly.

"You know I'm going to copy him that actually looks comfortable. Anyone else?" Ginny asked.

"Sure why not." Hermione shrugged and Ron nodded as did Draco, Astoria, Luna and Neville. The older people in the room exchanged looks.

"I'll stay down here with you to keep an eye on you." Remus said.

"I'll help." Petunia shrugged.

"I will too." Bill added.

Ginny nodded and changed into Misty who then curled up at Shadow's side so they were back to back and fell asleep.

"I think I'll wait until I'm actually tired to change." Draco commented.

"Me too." Astoria, Petunia, Neville, Luna, Hermione and Ron all said at the same time. Remus shrugged and turned into Moony and lay down with his head on Dora's knee, she scratched behind his ears making him close his eye's in enjoyment.

"It's getting close to the full moon." Amber commented.

"Is that why your feeling more comfortable as a wolf?" Luna asked Moony. "Your not as tense as you were before you changed." the wolf nodded.

"We probably don't have that yet as we haven't been Lycan's as long." Hermione frowned as the wolf lifted one shoulder and dropped it in what would be a shrug if he were human.

"Nah Moony's alway been like that." Sirius said, "You've always been conscious of the moon haven't you?" Moony nodded again.

"Oh yeah remember 2nd year?" James said. "He told us he could feel the moon coming."

Sirius nodded, "I wonder if those two can feel the moon changing?" he said nodding at Shadow and Misty who had slept through their whole conversation.

Moony sat up and changed back into Remus. "They can." he said, "They asked me earlier if I could feel a tugging feeling coming from my mind and if it disappeared when I was a wolf. I knew the feeling already from being a werewolf, this is different but the feeling of the tugging is the same as when the full moon was close so I'm guessing it's the same for a Lycan." he explained before changing back into Moony and lying down again.

"Fair enough." Dora commented going back to scratching his ears.

Cissy frowned, "I thought that was just a rumour. That wolves could feel the moon."

"Apparently not." the twins chuckled.

"I don't think those two are going to wake up any time soon." Percy looked amused as he said this.

"Probably not." Lily agreed, "They look so cute together like that." she smiled softly. "I still can't believe we missed so much of Harry's life though." she added. James nodded sadly.

"I know what you mean Lily. But were not going to miss anymore of it." he said firmly. Lily just smiled and nodded at him.

"I can tell you that I know how you feel but you'd know I was lying." Sirius put in, "But I can tell you that it was painful not knowing where he was, or how he was doing. And that I can understand to a certain level how you feel about having missed most of his life because I have too." he explained. Moony nodded to show his agreement at Sirius's words.

"Thanks guys that makes me feel so much better." James said gratefully as Lily nodded.

"Besides it's all You-Know-Who's fault." Ron put in. "And I'm not saying his name otherwise Harry will panic." Hermione giggled from beside him.

"It was your own fault." she told her boyfriend.

"No it was his fault for not waking up."

"What happened?" Regulus asked.

"Oh, Harry wouldn't wake up after the Final Battle and he had been asleep for 2 days and we were worried so Ron decided to shout, 'Voldemort'." as soon as Hermione said Voldemort, Shadow's head snapped up and he jumped up to his feet and started looking around growling. Misty woke up too and changed back into a tired looking Ginny.

"All right who said either Voldemort or Death Eaters?" she half-asked half-demanded.

"I was explaining what happened after the Final Battle when Harry wouldn't wake up." Hermione admitted, Shadow glared at her and walked closer to the fireplace and curled up again watching them and continued to watch them through his glowing green eyes. Ginny changed back into Misty and followed curling up at his side again and watching them all too.

"Oop's." Ron said smirking, "Anyway that is why you don't say the name when Harry is asleep if he wasn't Shadow right now he probably would have hexed everyone by now." Shadow nodded furiously.

"I'm guessing that's why you looked annoyed when you came down to the Great Hall then?" Molly asked, Shadow nodded again. "I told them to wake you up but not like that." she said as Ron blushed.

"We were worried and Madame Pomfrey said he shouldn't have slept that long." Ron defended himself.

"Besides we went over 2 days without sleep and without food." Hermione added. Shadow growled and shook his head. "Fine Harry went about 3 days without food." she huffed as Shadow nodded. "Me and Ron had only slept for two day's before Ginny woke us up for something to eat."

Shadow changed back into Harry, still sitting on the floor. "You still could have woken me up nicer." he pouted.

"Sorry mate but you wouldn't wake no matter how much noise we made. We even tried chucking freezing cold water on you but you didn't budge." Ron said frowning.

"You did?" Harry asked, Ron nodded, "I guess I really was out of it then," he admitted. Harry noticed everyone else looked confused. "I'll show you my memory once were done with 7th year that might clear a few things up, not even these two know everything." he added as the others nodded understanding that they'd find out later. Harry changed back into Shadow and fell asleep again so did Misty.

Everyone split into various conversations for a while. Minerva and Kingsley said goodbye and headed to Hogwarts and the Ministry respectively.

"Right I think it's bedtime now. Fleur if you want you can go in beside Andy and Cissy for the night, that way you wont be alone at Shell Cottage." Molly smiled a little later looking at the clock which read 10pm, Fleur nodded gratefully. Most nodded and headed up to bed, but Draco, Astoria, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna all changed into their wolf forms and curled up around Shadow and Misty and dropped off to sleep. Remus was already Moony so he changed back to human said goodnight then went back to being Moony and curled up on the floor beside the other wolves. Bill and Petunia had also changed into Storm and Celena and were curled up beside the rest.

"A lot of wolves having a camp out then." James commented as they made their way upstairs.

"Yeah there is." Lily smiled

"I'm going to go join them." Sirius said changing into Padfoot and going back down to curl up beside Moony.

Various good nights were called and the house fell silent for the night.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41 - The Wake-Up Call.

8th, August, Sunday, 1998.

The next morning the first one to wake up was Misty, she looked around confused at what had woken her up. Then she noticed something, Shadow was twitching and whimpering, he was obviously having a dream, and not a good one.

Misty nudged him but he didn't stir, she was beginning to panic, she didn't want to wake the others and embarrass her mate, but just then she heard a quiet whine. She looked around and noticed Celena was awake and looking at Shadow looking concerned. Celena got up and walked over to Misty and Shadow were, then she changed into a worried looking Petunia.

"Harry?" she whispered as Misty nudged him again. "Harry wake up." she said in not quite a whisper but it was close, she shook his shoulder and he finally opened his eyes and lifted his head. He looked at his mate and Aunt in confusion. "You had a nightmare didn't you?" Petunia asked.

Shadow nodded reluctantly, Misty whined and nuzzled him. Petunia went back to wolf form.

_Do you want to talk about it? _she asked gently.

_I'm..._

_Harry if you say your fine then your sleeping outside, _Ginny snapped.

_I was going to say I'm not sure what it was, _he huffed, _Well... I kind of do but I kind of don't, if that makes sence._

_Perfect sence, you know what it was about but you couldn't understand it, _Petunia put in and Shadow nodded.

_Exactly,_ he sighed, _It was Voldemort again but it wasn't exactly him, I'll need to talk to Ron and Hermione. I know they have similar dreams even if the three of us agree that I have it worse,_ he explained.

Just then noises were heard from upstairs.

_That'll be Mum, _Ginny said, the other wolves and Padfoot woke up as the sounds continued.

_That's people starting to get up already? _Snowstorm asked, yawning, _It's not even 6am yet, _he commented.

_It's just our Mum, _Paws said, _She usually gets up at this time._

_She has since Bill was born, _Ginny said,_ I asked her and she said she always got up at this time so she can make breakfast and wake Dad up before any of us woke up_, she explained.

_Fair enough, _Crystal said, _I'll probably end up doing that when this one arrives, _she nodded towards her stomach which looked slightly rounder than it did when she was human.

_There's a difference though. You wont have to make the food, the house elf's can, _Snowstorm told his mate, noticing that Smokey was glaring at him he added, _Dont give me that look Hermione, you know I treat the house elf's we have nicely as I've said before._

_Somehow I find that hard to believe,_ she replied thinking of Dobby, _not after we met an elf who had been in your care._

_Wrong, my Fathers care, _he said, _I've always been nice to them._

_He's telling the truth. Bonno, his head elf, absolutely loves him, _Crystal said sounding amused.

Draco nodded in confirmation. _Bonno is our oldest elf,_ he explained_, He's the one who took care of me when my parent's were busy. I've always been nice to him, _he admitted honestly, _The only time I was mean to him is when I was sick, but I did that to everybody._

_Fair enough, _Harry said, _The elf we met was terrified of your father but we never saw him around you, so we can't actually prove you were horrible to him._

Just then Molly walked into the room, "Oh your awake, did I wake you?" she asked. Shadow changed into Harry.

"Well Ginny and Aunt Petunia woke me up so we were already up." he said, "But I think it was the noise that woke the others." the wolves nodded.

"Sorry." Molly said apologetically, "I was just coming down to get a head start on breakfast." Padfoot changed into Sirius.

"The others are still asleep, this could be fun." he said, "Fancy helping waking them up?" he asked the wolves, Moony, Misty, Paws and Harry nodded.

"Should be amusing." Harry chuckled as the wolves all changed into their human forms and Molly went into the kitchen. "Who's going to wake up who?" he asked.

"Moony and I will get Prongs and Lily. We know how to annoy James the best." Sirius grinned.

"Nope Paddy, you know how to annoy Lily best." Remus corrected him, smirking. "Although annoying Lily does seem to annoy him too."

"True." Sirius admitted, "Right who want's to wake Charlie, Percy and the twins up?"

"There's no way we can get in the twins room." Ginny told them, "They always trap it with some of their products." she explained. "So those two can be counted out. Though I'll get Charlie."

"I'll get Percy." Ron volunteered. "He can be snappy in the morning but I'm used to it and I know how he will react."

"Shall we just do random people after that?" Harry half-asked, half-suggested. The other's nodded and they headed upstairs to wake people up.

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><p>HARRY'S POV:<p>

Harry walked upstairs and decided he would wake Fleur, Andy and Cissy. He cautiously walked to the door of the room they were in and opened it slightly, Andy was fast asleep but Cissy and Fleur were awake and looking around. Harry signaled for silence and they nodded that they would keep quiet.

He grinned and changed into Shadow before crawling along the floor to the bottom of Andy's bed. He paused to adjust his position.

Then he jumped onto the end of her bed landing just before her feet. She sat up immediately looking terrified. After a moment she noticed Shadow lying at the foot of her bed.

"What was that for!" she demanded, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she glared at the cowering wolf.

"Relax Andy, I think he meant to do it nicely." Cissy soothed her sister as the wolf nodded slightly. Shadow turned back into a sorry-looking Harry.

"I was going to jump up and nudge you gently but I miss-calculated the jump and landed slightly heavier than I meant to. Sorry Andy." he said.

Just then there was a big 'Boom' followed by the twins yell's from upstairs.

"Odd. I swear Ginny said we couldn't get in the twins room and that's definitely them." Harry frowned. "Breakfast will be ready soon. I'm going to see what happened." the three women nodded and he left the room only to find there was a smell of smoke in the hall, he frowned and walked up one flight of stairs to the twins room.

He saw Ginny standing in the doorway.

"What are you two doing?!" she demanded.

"It was an accident. We were working on a new product and it blew up." Fred said from the floor where he and George were clearing up a pile of ashes, "Good morning Harry." he added as the sounds of footsteps could be heard rushing on the stairs some coming upstairs and others coming down.

"Good morning." Harry replied looking around the twins room, there were scorch marks on the wall where parts of whatever had exploded had hit and there was a pile of ash, which the twins were cleaning up, in the middle of the floor.

"What happened?" Molly asked appearing at Ginny's side. "Are either of you hurt?"

"We're fine Mum honest." George said. "We managed to get shields up before the damn thing exploded."

"What exploded?" Harry asked.

The twins looked at each other. "It was... a new product." Fred said slowly.

"Which has a few... bugs." George put in.

"You're not going to tell us what it is, are you?" Arthur asked having arrived unnoticed, "Everybody is awake now. It must have been the explosion." he added.

"You're right Dad we're not saying what it is now. It's a surprise." Fred grinned.

"Sorry about the explosion. We didn't know it would blow up." George said honestly.

"We wouldn't have worked on it this early if we did." Fred agreed.

"Okay. Breakfast will be ready soon." Molly smiled before heading downstairs with Arthur.

Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her towards the stairs. "Gin, can we talk please?" he asked suddenly.

"Sure come in here." she pulled him into her own room. "What is it Harry?"

"I'm worried." he admitted, taking both her hands in his and playing with them, "I'm worried about how they are all going to take these next few memories."

Ginny pulled him closer and hugged him, "They'll all be fine, everyone watching are some of the strongest people I've ever met. They might not like some of the memories, especially my brothers, but we can warn them that they might not like what they see." she sighed.

"I know but it's mainly you I'm worried about. This year was hell for you Gin." he said softly. "It was hell for both of us."

"I know." she replied tracing the spot on his arm where he was bitten by the basilisk. "I promise I'll be alright. As long as you stay next to me."

"Alright, but if you feel you have to leave tell me immediately because I'm speeding it up, we should be finished by tonight or tomorrow morning." he explained.

"I'll tell you Harry. Let's go down before they come looking for us." they went downstairs to find everyone in the kitchen, Minerva and Kingsley had arrived.

"There you two are." Hermione smiled. "I was about to come get you." she explained.

"Well we're here now." Harry chuckled, "You were right Gin, they would come looking for us."

After everyone had eaten breakfast Harry stood up.

"Right, I have a warning for all of you." he said getting their attention. "The next few memories you are going to see you may not like very much, I'm speeding up so we should be finished second year by tonight or tomorrow afternoon." he explained.

"Why wont we like them?" Lily asked, "Are they dangerous?"

"Some of them will be." Hermione said, "Others are just unpleasant."

"There's nothing new there especially since it involves you three." Neville snorted.

"Well said Neville." the twins snickered.

"Anyway, it's not just those three involved this year." Minerva said. "It's mainly them but the whole school was scared." she added.

"That's true." Harry nodded, "I thought I'd just give you all a warning."

"Fair enough." Remus smiled, "I had heard rumours about this year, it sounded bad, but I think we all appreciate the warning anyway." they all nodded.

"You should have heard the rumors going about the Auror department every time you done something." Kingsley grinned, "Some of them got a bit out of hand."

Dora nodded. "I had heard a few that said a mutant flobberworm was scaring all the kids and another that said you were the heir of Slytherin." she giggled. "They just got more and more ridiculous."

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. "What other rumors did you hear." Ron asked hesitantly.

"Oh most of those were made up, like that Harry had to go up against a Manticore and stuff no normal twelve year old could do." she said.

"The thing is..." Ron began.

"We're not normal." Hermioine finished.

"No matter what anyone said or says there is no way people can deny that." Harry agreed.

"You didn't actually go against a Manticore did you." James asked nervously.

"No." Harry said making everyone relax.

"It's worse." Hermione said, they all groaned.

"'Mione! Are you trying to give them all a heart attack?" Ron asked.

"No but they deserve the truth." she replied.

"So let me get this right Harry, you have fought something worse than a Manticore?" Kingsley frowned. "While at school?"

Harry glared at Hermione, "Yes I have and Hermione wasn't meant to say that."

"Sorry. But they do deserve the truth." she said stubbornly.

"Yes they do but that was revealing a little more than necessary." he sighed. "It doesn't matter it's done now. Shall we just get on with the memories?"

"It depends. Will there be anything that will give us a heart attack?" James asked. Harry went through the memories he was going to show in his mind quickly.

"A few terrifying parts but there shouldn't be anything that will give you a heart attack." he smirked, "Although I have a different opinion on what qualifies as scary, terrifying and heart attack level than the other two." he looked at Ron and Hermione for their opinions.

"I would say there's more terrifying parts." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"And I would say there's one or two moments that might give you a heart attack." Ron shuddered.

"You're thinking of the spiders." Harry smirked, Ron nodded.

"Well I think that qualifies under heart attack level." he muttered.

"You would." George smirked. "You're terrified of spiders.

"And who's fault is that?" Bill said glaring at the twins.

"Fred's." Ginny said.

"Hey!" Fred yelled. "Ginny you're not meant to tell them that. It could have been George." he smirked.

"Nice try. I've always been able to tell you two apart and it was you." she grinned.

"What did you do?" Dudley asked.

"Fred turned Ron's teddy bear into a massive spider when he was 3 or 4." Charlie put in. "It took me and Bill weeks to get him to go into his own room, he insisted on staying in with us."

"It was an accident." the twins said together.

"So you're terrified of spiders? I guess that's understandable." Amber smiled.

"Everybody is scared of something." Lily added.

"Harry's not." Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Astoria and Draco said. Harry smiled.

"I am actually." he turned to Remus, "Remember what I told you in my third year?"

"Yes. You said your Boggart would have been a Dementor."

"And what did you tell me?"

"I told you that it suggested that what you feared the most was fear itself."

"Exactly." Harry smiled at the shocked faces of everyone in the room.

"Okay you have done the impossible." Astoria said. "You have a fear of being afraid."

"It's quite confusing sometimes, but yes." he replied.

"What's a Boggart?" Petunia asked.

"It's mentioned third year but basically it turns into the thing you are most afraid of." Neville smiled.

"And before anyone else asks I will be showing that lesson." Harry grinned. "That is definitely an interesting year all round."

"Define 'interesting'." Lily said suspiciously.

"Well... you will find out the sooner we're done with 2nd year." Harry chuckled. "Let's go." they all made their way through to the living room, Dora carrying Teddy who was happily eating a bowl of mashed banana and Amber carrying Cecelia who was looking around at all the different faces curiously.

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><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 - Second Year (Part 4.5)

8th, August, 1998.

"Right basically what's happening is I was at Quidditch practice and it was really muddy." Harry was cut off by Fred.

"No kidding we could go swimming in the mud." he smirked.

"True. Anyway I was all muddy so I was going up to the tower to get cleaned up, on the way up I met Nearly Headless Nick and I was standing talking to him when Filch saw me covered in muck. Suffice to say he wasn't happy and he dragged me to his office." Harry continued, "He was about to punish me for traipsing mud on the floor when we both heard a crash. It was Peeves, he had broken a vanishing cabinet on the floor directly above Filch's office."

"Yes and it was Nearly Headless Nick that had convinced him to do it." Ron grinned.

"Why would he do that?" Minerva asked.

"He felt responsible for Harry getting caught." Hermione smiled, "And he didn't want Harry in trouble."

"So I stayed in Filch's office while he was dealing with Peeves..." Harry was cut off again.

"Why didn't you run?" Sirius asked.

"I never thought of it." Harry shrugged. "Anyway I had a look around and found a leaflet for Kwikspell. Then Filch came back so I put the leaflet back but he could tell I had seen it. He threatened me and told me to get lost and to never mention it to anyone, so I left and I met Nick again and he told me what he got Peeves to do than I ended up agreeing to go to his Deathday party."

"And he dragged us into it too." Hermione pouted.

"What's a Deathday party?" Petunia asked.

"It's the anniversary of a ghost's death. For some reason they celebrate it." Ron frowned.

"So were starting at the end of the Deathday party." Harry said putting the memory in and sitting down next to Ginny and putting an arm around her as the memory started.

**"I can't stand much more of this," Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor.**

**"Let's go," Harry agreed.**

**They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.**

**"Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall.**

**And then Harry heard it.**

**"... rip... tear... kill..."**

"Oh great, that voice again." Sirius said.

"And it's worse this time." Remus said.

Regulus looked at him. "How do you know?"

"From what those three have said. Something more must happen then just the voice this time." Remus replied.

"This is where it all starts." Hermione whispered fearfully. Ginny, Colin, herself, and many others almost died that year. She was lucky to have figured it out in time before she was attacked.

**It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice he had heard in Lockhart's office.**

**He stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.**

**"Harry, what're you ****-****?"**

**"It's that voice again ****-**** shut up a minute ****-****"**

**"... soo hungry... for so long..."**

**"Listen!" said Harry urgently, and Ron and Hermione froze, watching him.**

**"... kill... time to kill..."**

"Oh no, oh no, no, no." Lily said fearfully, Ginny was becoming really pale.

**The voice was growing fainter. Harry was sure it was moving away ****-**** moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped him as he stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?**

**"This way," he shouted, and he began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Ron and Hermione clattering behind him.**

**"Harry, what're we ****-****"**

**"SHH!"**

**Harry strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice: "... I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD!"**

**His stomach lurched ****-**

**"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted, and ignoring Ron's and Hermione's bewildered faces, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps ****-**** Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Ron and Hermione panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.**

**"Harry, what was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything..."**

"We thought you were mental." Ron admitted. "We couldn't hear anything and you wouldn't explain. Sorry mate."

"That makes me feel so much better." Harry snorted.

**But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.**

**"Look!"**

"What now?" Lily whispered.

**Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.**

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.**

**ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE**

"What is the Chamber of Secrets?" Amber asked.

Remus and Lily frowned. They both had an idea of where this was going and they didn't like it.

**"What's that thing ****-**** hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.**

**As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped ****-**** there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Ron and Hermione grabbed him, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. All three of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash.**

**Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.**

"It's started." Hermione sighed sadly. Those who didn't know looked at her confused. "You'll see." she said.

**For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."**

"Listen to him. You don't want to be found there." Kingsley said.

**"Shouldn't we try and help ****-****" Harry began awkwardly.**

**"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."**

**But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.**

**The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.**

**Then someone shouted through the quiet.**

"Dora, cover Teddy's ears, and Amber, best to cover Cecelia's too, just in case." Harry told them

**"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"**

"Git." Sirius hissed.

"Muggleborns are the targets." Remus said.

"That means the Heir must be a Slytherin. Slytherin's hate Muggleborns. It makes sense that they would be the targets." James said. No one except Harry saw Ginny's small flinch at his words.

**It was Draco Malfoy.**

"Who else would it be?" Sirius snorted. Draco looked ashamed of himself.

**He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.**

"It's always you three in the wrong place at the wrong time isn't it." Minerva commented.

"We know." the Golden Trio said cheerfully.

**Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.**

"This won't be good. That man really loves his cat." Andy said.

"He better not blame Harry." James hissed.

**"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.**

**And his popping eyes fell on Harry.**

**"You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll ****-****"**

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my son!" Lily yelled.

**"Argus!"**

**Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.**

**"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."**

**Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.**

**"My office is nearest, Headmaster ****-**** just upstairs ****-**** please feel free ****-****"**

**"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.**

**The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.**

**As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight,**

"So full of himself." Cissy mumbled.

**their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.**

**The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.**

**"It was definitely a curse that killed her ****-**** probably the Transmogrifian Torture ****-**** I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..."**

"There is no such thing as Transmogrifian Torture." James said.

"How could he hire an idiot like this?" Remus asked.

"He was the only one for the job." Minerva frowned, "We couldn't find you, so he got it." she added.

"Oop's." Remus said, "I was abroad at that time no-one knew where I was."

"Where were you?" Regulus asked.

"At that moment I was in Ireland." he replied. "I was staying with a werewolf colony." he explained. "So it was an impossible place to find."

**Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch, Harry couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he felt for himself If Dumbledore believed Filch, he would be expelled for sure.**

**Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.**

**"... I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once..."**

**The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net.**

**At last Dumbledore straightened up.**

**"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.**

**Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.**

**"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all ****-**** all stiff and frozen?"**

**"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart). "But how, I cannot say..."**

"Luckily." Minerva said. "The cat may have been a menace but the last time something like that happened someone died."

All of them, except the ones who knew what happened, paled.

"Please don't let anyone be killed." Lily whispered.

"Don't worry no one was killed." Hermione soothed.

**"Ask him!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry.**

**"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced ****-****"**

**"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found ****-**** in my office ****-**** he knows I'm a ****-**** I'm a ****-****" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.**

"What does him being a Squib have to do with anything?" Fred asked.

**"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."**

"Harry you really need to learn more about the world you live in." Sirius said.

"It happens a lot." Harry frowned, "Someone will mention something that I don't know about and they expect me to know it because of who I am." he explained.

Hermione nodded, "I'd noticed that, there was somethings I didn't know about until Ron mentioned them."

Ron nodded, "I guess I should have sat down with you both and explained some of the important things when we were in first year." he admitted sheepishly.

"That would have been helpful, but you didn't know." Harry smiled.

"What do you mean by 'they expect me to know it because of who I am'?" Regulus asked.

"The whole Boy-Who-Lived thing again." Harry explained, "Because of that people expect me to know stuff automatically and when I don't I get called ignorant..." he trailed off.

"But you're not." Hermione frowned, "You just haven't been told." Harry nodded.

"It all comes down to the titles. People only saw the person who defeated Voldemort as a baby. They ignore the fact I was raised by Muggles. They saw me as a hero when I didn't even know my own story until I was 11 years old." Harry explained. "The wizarding world saw me as The-Boy-Who-Lived, and that's just not who I am." he finished.

"Sadly it's true, but we can't change that." Minerva sighed. "It was only the people who knew your parents who actually looked past the title streight away."

"I'd noticed." Harry smiled, "The only people I can remember not looking at the stupid scar on my forehead as soon as they met me was Minerva, Remus, Sirius and obviously most of the Weasley's, even if most of you did glance up." he smiled as the mentioned people blushed guiltily, "Most see the damn thing as a name tag. I blame Voldemort for that." he chuckled and turned back to the memory before anyone could reply.

**"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"**

**"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Harry's sense of foreboding increased; he was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good.**

**"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it.**

"Is he defending them?" James asked, shocked.

"He was." Harry smiled.

**"But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"**

"And now he's back to being a prat." Sirius said.

**Harry, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. "... there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there ****-****"**

**"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"**

"Oh, for the love of..." Lily mumbled. "Just leave them alone."

**Ron and Hermione looked at Harry.**

**"Because ****-**** because ****-****" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast; something told him it would sound very far-fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but he could hear, "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed," he said.**

**"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."**

"Severus." Lily growled.

**"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.**

"That will make their argument very convincing." Sirius laughed.

Hermione smiled, "Didn't really matter if his stomach rumbled or not. Ron is always hungry."

"Just like Padfoot." James said, grinning.

"It still wasn't very convincing." Minerva smiled, "But we let it drop anyway."

**Snape's nasty smile widened.**

**"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."**

"He can't do that!" Sirius yelled angrily.

"The cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick so you can't take him off the team." James muttered.

Minerva nodded her agreement, "That's what I told him."

"Honestly Severus, grow up." Lily grumbled.

**"Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."**

Everyone laughed. "Prongs thinks just like Minnie."

Minerva glared at Sirius.

James grinned. "We only think alike for Quidditch. I believe we disagree on everything else."

**Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X-rayed.**

**"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.**

**Snape looked furious.**

**So did Filch.**

**"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"**

**"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."**

**"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep ****-****"**

"No, you won't!" Lily screeched. "That potion is much too difficult that idiot will never be able to do it correctly."

"Albus would never let him do the potion." Kingsley said.

**"Excuse me," said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."**

"I bet Lockhart is really scared of Snape and won't reply." Sirius said.

**There was a very awkward pause.**

**"You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.**

**They went, as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Harry squinted at his friends' darkened faces.**

**"D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"**

**"No," said Ron, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."**

"You should have still told Albus in private. He would have helped you and it would have helped him figure out what was going on." Kingsley said.

"We had our suspicions of what was going on already, but didn't want to admit that it was happening again." Minerva said.

"Again?" Astoria frowned.

"The chamber had been opened before, while I was at school actually." Minerva admitted. "I was in my 7th year."

**Something in Ron's voice made Harry ask, "You do believe me, don't you?"**

**"'Course I do," said Ron quickly. "But ****-**** you must admit it's weird..."**

**"I know it's weird," said Harry. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber Has Been Opened... What's that supposed to mean?"**

**"You know, it rings a sort of bell," said Ron slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once... might've been Bill..."**

"Right in one little bro." Bill grinned. "I was telling you scary stories based on the truth and you learned a few things without noticing what I was doing, Charlie helped." he added.

Ron muttered about sneaky big brothers.

"We did it with the twins too, and Ginny." Charlie smirked. "We didn't need to with Percy, he read about most of the stuff we told him about."

"I helped a few times." Percy added, "It was quite amusing, that was the only way we could get you to leave us alone for more than an hour."

"Too true." Charlie mumbled.

"And we didn't even notice we were learning." Ginny grumbled.

Molly and Arthur smiled amusedly at their children.

**"And what on earth's a Squib?" said Harry.**

**To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger.**

The Marauders did too.

"Squibs aren't something to laugh at." Lily scolded.

"We know it's not funny, but what makes it funny is that it's Filch that's a Squib." Sirius said chuckling.

**"Well ****-**** it's not funny really ****-**** but as it's Filch," he said. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much." Ron gave a satisfied smile. "He's bitter."**

**A clock chimed somewhere.**

**"Midnight," said Harry.**

"Get to bed." Molly said. "Kids their age shouldn't be staying up that late."

"We've stayed up later than that before then." Harry pointed out.

**"We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."**

**For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Harry had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone.**

"Is it still there now?" Lily asked.

"No." Minerva said thoughtfully. "I don't know how Albus got it off." she said truthfully.

"He probably just painted over it." Harry shrugged.

**When Filch wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly****"**** and "looking happy."**

**Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover.**

"Don't worry about that stupid cat. She's a nuisance." James said.

"That's not it." Ginny said quietly. "It was the attack in general." she half-lied. "Mrs Norris is one cat I couldn't stand."

**"But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking ****-****" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.**

"Ronald! You shouldn't have said that to your sister!" Molly scolded.

"Sorry Ginny." he muttered, she just smiled weakly at him.

"Skipping." Harry said hugging Ginny reassuringly, as she was looking quite pale.

**History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shriveled, many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.**

**Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand.**

"Hermione, interrupting a teacher? I never believed you would do such a thing!" Sirius said dramatically.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Get use to it. I do it a few more times in the future."

"Oh, so now you're being rebellious?" Lily asked.

Hermione thought back to their fifth year at Hogwarts when all the students and professors rebelled against Umbridge. She smirked. "I'm not the only one who rebels in the next few years."

James gaped at her. "What are you rebelling against?"

Hermione smirked. "Not telling."

**Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.**

**"Miss ****-**** er ****-****?"**

**"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice.**

Sirius perked up. "He should know about it."

**Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk.**

"Oops." Neville said blushing, "I had been half asleep when she asked." he admitted.

"But the Chamber of Secrets is something everyone wants to know about." Remus said nodding.

"I don't think anyone has paid so much attention in that class before." Sirius added.

"Students tend to just fall asleep in that class." Minerva chuckled, "Just be lucky you didn't have the alive version of Binns he was worse." she added, "I think Albus said even he fell asleep a few times when he was at school, he had Binns too." everyone chuckled.

**Professor Binns blinked.**

**"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk slipping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers ****-****"**

**He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again.**

**"Miss Grant?"**

"He teaches History of Magic, but can't remember names he said a few seconds ago." Lily shook her head in exasperation.

**"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"**

**Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Harry was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead.**

"Not as far as I know." Lily said.

"Yes you do." James said. "Remember our 3rd year?"

"We interrupted him to see what his reaction would be." Sirius smirked. "He didn't really do anything except tell us to stop what we were doing."

"Well you were flicking bits of paper at Prongs." Remus said amused.

**"Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale ****-****"**

**But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Harry could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.**

"He would have died of shock if he was alive." Sirius laughed.

**"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see... the Chamber of Secrets..."**

"Sheesh, Hermione, you are very persuasive." Remus said.

"Probably why the boys kept me around. Needed someone around that would be able to persuade people to give them information or do something." Hermione replied, smirking.

"Not true." Harry said with Ron nodding next to him. "You were just better at it than me or Ron. The reason we kept you around is because you're a brilliant friend and person. That and Ron fell for you." he added mischievously, making them both blush as everyone else laughed.

**"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago ****-**** the precise date is uncertain ****-**** by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."**

**He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.**

**"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy.****"**

"It figures that the Salazar was the one to start all this pure-blood nonsense." Remus said.

"One of the houses had to start it. And it had to be the house that Voldemort was in. Makes so much sense." Hermione said.

"He was a kid at one time too. He is... well... he was human at one point. He just bought into the wrong beliefs." Harry pointed out. "I'm not trying to defend him, I hate his guts. I'm just saying it may have been different if he hadn't grown up in an orphanage."

"How can one not be human anymore?" Remus asked.

"Killing does things to the soul." Hermione replied, confusing everyone except Regulus, Harry and Ron who nodded sadly.

**"****After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."**

**Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise.**

**"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.****Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."**

"That's evil." Astoria growled. "I can't believe someone would do that."

"It's probably not true. Stories can be twisted around to fit people's views." Remus replied.

"True." Harry said, "But this is one story that hasn't changed."

Lily paled. "So, there really is a monster in the school?"

"Not anymore, but at that time, yes." he replied.

**There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.**

**"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."**

"Wrong." Hermione said in a sing-song voice.

"Do you know where it is?" Lily asked.

The Golden Trio smiled. "Of course we know." they said.

"One of the things we can put on our list of things we know about Hogwarts and the Marauders and twins don't know." Hermione smirked.

The Marauders and twins glared at her.

**Hermione's hand was back in the air.**

**"Sir ****-**** what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"**

**"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.**

**The class exchanged nervous looks.**

**"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."**

**"But, sir," said Seamus Finnigan, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"**

**"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing ****-****"**

**"But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it ****-****"**

"Not necessarily true. You might just need a password or key." Sirius said.

"Or a special talent." Harry added, everyone looked confused. "You'll remember soon enough." he smirked.

**"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore ****-****"**

**"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't ****-****" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough.**

**"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"**

"Skipping, this is after class and we were debating whether the Chamber was real or not and if the monster existed." Harry explained. "We found ourselves at the scene of the attack and that's where were starting."

**The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened."**

"Stay away from that corridor." Regulus said.

**"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.**

**They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.**

**"Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.**

Lily and Molly groaned.

**"Scorch marks!" he said. "Here ****-**** and here ****-****"**

**"Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny..."**

**Harry got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.**

**"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly.**

**"No," said Harry, "have you, Ron? Ron?"**

**He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.**

James laughed.

"James, need I remind you your fear of..." Remus started, but stopped as James tackled him.

"We said we would never speak of that again." James growled, pinning him to the sofa.

Sirius looked up, frowning. "What are you guys talking about?"

Remus grinned. "I forgot. You weren't there, Padfoot."

"Yeah, so tell me." Sirius said.

"It was during the summer after fourth year, before you went to Godric's Hollow to stay with Prongs and..." Remus started, before James slammed a hand over his mouth.

"We said we'd never speak of it." James hissed. "Now keep quiet about it or I'll put a silencing charm on you."

Remus pouted, then grinned, "You don't have a wand."

"I don't need a wand for it Moony." James smirked. Remus pouted again.

"Why not?" Dora asked curiously.

"He can do some spells without a wand even if they aren't very strong." Sirius explained.

"Like this." James waved his hand towards Sirius.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked nervously.

"Give it a moment, it's nothing bad." James smirked. Slowly Sirius's hair began to turn Gryffindor red with golden streaks.

"Cool." Draco said, "Even if it is Gryffindor colours." he smirked.

James wave his hand again and the colour changed back to black.

**"What's up?" said Harry.**

**"I ****-**** don't ****-**** like ****-**** spiders," said Ron tensely.**

**"I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times..."**

**"I don't mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move..."**

**Hermione giggled.**

"He's a Gryffindor and is afraid of spiders. I'm allowed to laugh." Hermione said, grinning. Ron pouted.

**"It's not funny," said Ron, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my ****-**** my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..."**

"How did it actually happen?" James laughed.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to guess and say it was some accidental magic." Fred grinned.

**He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh.**

"It was really funny." George smirked.

"No it wasnt!" Ron protested.

"It really wasn't." Bill scolded the twins, "You two didn't have to deal with him. He refused to go into his own room for weeks so we had to let him stay in with us."

Molly frowned, "I remember putting him into his own bed every night."

"He'd wake up and come in beside Bill or I." Charlie supplied, "Ginny done it if she had nightmares so there was a few times they were both in our room."

"Percy used to go to Mum and Dad's room but you two never did unless you couldnt wake us up." Bill told Ron and Ginny, who were both blushing furiously.

"It's nothing overly embarrassing, every child does it at one point." Arthur told his kids, "I know I did when I was younger thanks to your Grandma Weasley's habit of telling highly embarrassing stories."

"It's not as bad as other things we've done I suppose." Ron sighed.

**Feeling they had better get off the subject, Harry said, "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up."**

**"It was about here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door."**

**He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.**

**"What's the matter?" said Harry.**

**"Can't go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet."**

**"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," said Hermione standing up and coming over. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look."**

**And ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign, she opened the door.**

**It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Harry had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks.**

"Harry, get out of there! That's a girl bathroom." Lily growled.

"You as well, Ron." Molly hissed.

James and Remus laughed.

"He's got some guts going into a girl's bathroom in second year. We didn't do that until third year." Sirius laughed.

"YOU WHAT?" the women all yelled.

The Marauders flinched.

"Actually, Harry and Ron went into one in first year too." Hermione interrupted, saving the three wizards.

"Yes, but that was to help you. That doesn't count." Lily argued. Hermione shrugged.

**The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.**

**Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"**

**Harry and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.**

**"This is a girls' bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously. "They're not girls."**

**"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how er ****-**** nice it is in here."**

**She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.**

**"Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione.**

"Don't do that, Harry." Lily groaned. "She'll think you're talking about her."

**"What are you whispering?" said Myrtle, staring at him.**

**"Nothing," said Harry quickly. "We wanted to ask ****-****"**

**"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. "I do have feelings, you know, even if I am dead ****-****"**

**"Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," said Hermione. "Harry only ****-****"**

**"No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" howled Myrtle. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"**

"Why did she become a ghost then?" Regulus asked.

"She was determined to haunt someone." Harry explained.

**"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately," said Hermione quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."**

**"Did you see anyone near here that night?" said Harry.**

**"I wasn't paying attention," said Myrtle dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm ****-**** that I'm ****-****"**

**"Already dead," said Ron helpfully.**

**Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U-bend.**

"How does a ghost splash water?" Dudley frowned.

"It's like a type of wind." Minerva explained, "No one knows exactly how but ghosts can interact with water a little." she shrugged.

**Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged wearily and said, "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle... Come on, let's go."**

**Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump.**

**"RON!"**

**Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face.**

**"That's a girls' bathroom!" he gasped. "What were you ****-****?"**

"I was completely shocked to find my little brother and his two friends coming out of a girls bathroom." Percy glared at Ron who put on an innocent face that nobody believed.

**"Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know ****-****"**

**Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Get ****-**** away ****-**** from ****-**** there ****-****" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner ****-****"**

"It's a good point." Lily said.

The Golden Trio nodded reluctantly.

"I guess it does look bad." Harry admitted.

**"Why shouldn't we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!"**

**"That's what I told Ginny," said Percy fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business ****-****"**

"That's not what it was about Perce." Ginny sighed.

**"You don't care about Ginny," said Ron, whose ears were now reddening. "You're just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy ****-****"**

**"Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!"**

"You deserved that." Bill said frowning at Ron.

"I know. I shouldn't have said it. Sorry Perce." Ron said. Percy nodded in acceptance.

**And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut. To Harry's surprise, Hermione followed suit.**

**"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwart's?"**

**"Let's think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"**

**He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced.**

**"If you're talking about Malfoy ****-****"**

"Of course... Go straight to me." Draco groaned.

"Well we did hate each other and you were a prat. Who else would we go to." Harry smirked.

"True enough." Draco nodded, "But it's not me."

Harry warned Dora and Amber to cover the children's ears again.

**"Of course I am!" said Ron. "You heard him ****-**** 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'**** - ****come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him ****-****"**

"Hey!" Draco yelled.

"Sorry." Ron apologised.

**"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically.**

**"Look at his family," said Harry, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."**

**"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son..."**

"You know if I didn't know that it wasn't me I'd probably agree with you." Draco pouted.

**"Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it's possible..."**

**"But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly.**

**"There might be a way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect ****-****"**

"Ooooh. What are you going to do?" Sirius asked.

"I can't believe you would allow this." Lily said.

**"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" said Ron irritably.**

**"All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."**

"And how do you plan on doing that? You three don't even know where the common room is." James said.

"The only hole in the plan. We kind of forgot about that part." Ron said sheepishly.

James laughed.

**"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed.**

**"No, it's not," said Hermione. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."**

"You can't do that! You're only second years. You could never make that potion. It's a N.E.W.T potion." Lily protested. "It could go horribly wrong."

Hermione thought about her cat face and tail and silently agreed.

"Yes, but you'll see." Harry said, "As we said earlier we're not normal." he smirked.

**"What's that?" said Ron and Harry together.**

**"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago ****-****"**

**"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" muttered Ron.**

The Marauders laughed. "He's got a good point." Sirius grinned.

"Which is why Harry and Ron had trouble in the class." Hermione said. The two boys nodded, blushing as everyone laughed.

**"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him."**

**"This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," said Ron, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?"**

**"It wears off after a while," said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Moste Potente Potions and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library." There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. "Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," said Ron, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."**

**"I think," said Hermione, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance..."**

**"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron. "They'd have to be really thick..."**

"Lockhart." James said making the Golden Trio nod.

Harry checked his watch. "We have time for another memory before lunch." he got up and changed the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 - Second Year (Part 5)

8th, August, 1998.

"This one is how we persuaded Lockhart to sign the slip to get the book." Harry grinned sitting back down next to Ginny.

**Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.**

"Did you guys learn anything or did you just read his books?" Remus asked.

"We just read books the whole year." Hermione shrugged.

"I'm not surprised you were so behind then." he sighed.

**Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.**

**"Nice loud howl, Harry ****-**** exactly ****-**** and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced ****-**** like this ****-**** slammed him to the floor ****-**** thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down ****-**** with my other, I put my wand to his throat****"**

Remus snorted. "As if he could ever do something like that."

**"-**** I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm - he let out a piteous moan ****-**** go on, Harry ****-**** higher than that ****-**** good ****-**** the fur vanished ****-**** the fangs shrank ****-**** and he turned back into a man.****"**

"That's not even a spell. It's impossible to do." Remus growled.

**"****Simple, yet effective ****-**** and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."**

Remus rolled his eyes. "This guy is an idiot."

**The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.**

**"Homework ****-**** compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"**

Remus slammed a hand into his forehead. "At this rate the kids aren't going to learn anything and they are going to be easy targets in the real world."

"They have to learn something if they are still alive." Lily said reasonably.

"Oh I know they learned something." he told her, he glanced at Harry who shook his head discreetly. "I can't tell you how though."

**The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Ron and Hermione were waiting.**

**"Ready?" Harry muttered.**

**"Wait till everyone's gone," said Hermione nervously. "All right."**

**She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry and Ron right behind her.**

**"Er ****-**** Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to ****-**** to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it ****-**** I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms."**

**"Ah, Gadding with Ghouls!" said Lockhart, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?"**

"He signed it without even looking at what book you want?" Minerva muttered.

"This guy has to be the stupidest person alive." Kingsley said, "What if it was a dangerous book? Like one on creating an army of inferni?"

"Good point." Harry nodded, "Even if we wouldn't do that there was bound to be some older students interested in learning how to do it." he reasoned.

**"Oh, yes," said Hermione eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer ****-****"**

Everyone snorted.

**"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. "Yes, nice, isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book-signings."**

**He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.**

**"So, Harry," said Lockhart, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too.****"**

"That's a lie if I ever saw one." Sirius barked. "That idiot couldn't stay on a broom for more than ten seconds." most people chuckled.

**"****I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces.****Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players..."**

"Someone hex this idiot for all of our sanity." Astoria pleaded.

"It's been taken care of." Ron told them. "I wont say how, but it has."

**Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.**

**"I don't believe it," he said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even look at the book we wanted."**

**"That's because he's a brainless git," said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed**** -****"**

**"He is not a brainless git," said Hermione shrilly as they half ran toward the library.**

**"Just because he said you were the best student of the year ****-****"**

"Okay we're skipping a little." Harry said, "We got the book and recipe for Polyjuice. We found out the ingredients and had to steal some from Snape's stores. Me and Ron didn't want to but Hermione persuaded us to do it." he smirked as Hermione blushed. "And this is the first Quidditch match of the season." he added as the memory started.

**Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly.**

**After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.**

**As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.**

**"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers ****- ****"("Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August") "**** -**** and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team."**

"I didn't buy my way on actually." Draco huffed.

"It's true I watched the try-outs and he was the best one there." Astoria laughed.

**Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.**

**"It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."**

George groaned. "I still can't believe he said that."

"Why?" James asked.

"Harry took it to heart." Fred explained making them all groan.

**"So no pressure, Harry" said Fred, winking at him.**

**As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten,**

"The only people to actually cheer for Slytherin's are the Slytherin's themselves. No one else ever cheers for them like the other houses do for each other." Sirius said.

"That's cause Slytherin's is full of slimy, prejudiced gits most of the time." Remus replied. "Present company excluded.

"Yes, you made that perfectly clear in your commentary in the Slytherin games." Minerva commented dryly. "Why we let you continue to do the commentary during the games I'll never know."

"We had a school vote." James replied, "The school voted to let Remus keep his job."

Remus frowned. "Everyone voted to let me keep my job, except the Slytherin's, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and my so-called friends."

"You were bullying us during the games." Sirius pointed out. "We wanted you out of that job and on the field where you belong."

Remus sighed. "Commentary is more fun. It allowed me to pick on the teams."

"I still don't know how you survived." James said.

"The Slytherin's tried to hex him before and after every game. They didn't appreciate his commentary." Sirius explained to everybody who looked confused.

They all laughed.

"It wasn't all of the Slytherin's." Regulus pointed out. "A few of them, including myself, didn't really care because he did it to everyone."

"True." Remus laughed.

**but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.**

**"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."**

**With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.**

**"All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom.**

"That's creative." James snorted. Draco rolled his eyes.

**Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.**

**"Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.**

**Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head.**

"SOMEONE'S TAMPERED WITH THAT BLOODY BLUDGER!" James yelled angrily.

"Those blasted Slytherin's are cheating to get Harry out." Sirius growled.

Remus looked angry too but Dora snapped, "James, Sirius, stop it!" before he could talk. She nodded down at Teddy who had watched them looking frightened of James and Sirius.

"Sorry." they both said as Teddy escaped from Dora and crawled over her knee to Remus.

"Dada..." Teddy whimpered cuddling into Remus.

"Shh... It's okay Teddy, they're just idiot's." Remus soothed glaring at the other two Marauders who were looking very apologetic.

"Sorry Teddy. Did we scare you?" James said looking guilty when the boy nodded slightly.

"Sorry Teddy." Sirius said also looking guilty.

Teddy nodded again and curled up on his father's knee. Dora gave him his wolf from where he had dropped it and he fell asleep almost instantly.

"You two need to watch your behavior." Lily scolded her husband and his best friend, "And your language." they nodded looking thoroughly upset.

**Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible...**

**Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.**

"How could you tell us apart?" George asked.

Harry shrugged. "I normally could." he explained. "I didn't figure out how I was doing it until my 4th year." he admitted chuckling.

**"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.**

"Good thing the twins are on the team. They'll protect Harry." Molly said.

"They need to leave Harry alone." James retorted. "He'll never catch the Snitch if they are following Harry around."

"Are you saying the game is more important than our son?" Lily growled.

James put his hands up in defense. "I'm... uh... that's not... Padfoot, help!"

"Lils, James knows Harry is more important, but he needs to be left alone so he can catch the Snitch and end the game. Harry is really good at flying. He'll be able to stay away from the Bludger." Sirius said, while James nodded his head violently.

**It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero.****"**

**The Slytherins' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.**

**"Someone's ****-**** tampered ****-**** with ****-**** this ****-**** Bludger ****-****" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.**

**"We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.**

**Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.**

**"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"**

**"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said George angrily.**

"Than you boys." Lily and Molly said.

"No problem." they replied grinning. "We weren't going to let it kill Harry." George started.

"By then he was already like a brother to us..." Fred continued.

"And we watch out for our own." they finished together. Lily and Molly beamed at them as Harry nodded in thanks to them.

**"Someone's fixed it ****-**** it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."**

**"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then..." said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction.**

**"Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."**

"His father's stupid Quidditch obsession was passed down." Lily groaned.

James pouted. "Stop being mean to me."

**"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."**

"Such loyal friends." Lily beamed.

**Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys.**

**"Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinner angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry..."**

**"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"**

"Stupid competitive boys." Lily said.

**"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him ****-****"**

"Isn't that the truth." Molly muttered.

**Madam Hooch had joined them.**

**"Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.**

**Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face.**

**"All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry ****-**** leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."**

"I still reckon you're an idiot for that." Fred pouted. Harry rolled his eyes in an amused fashion.

**The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood.**

**A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.**

**"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it ****-**** the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear ****-**** and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.**

"And this is why you shouldn't get distracted during a game." James said, while laughing.

**For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.**

**WHAM.**

**He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break.**

"Were you alright?" Lily asked looking worried.

"Except from the broken arm I was fine." Harry said grimacing when he said 'was'.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"You'll find out in under 5 minutes." Ron said.

**Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side ****-**** the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at his face ****-**** Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy.**

**Through a haze of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.**

**"What the ****-****" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way.**

**Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.**

"What is more important?" Lily shouted. "Your health or the stupid game?"

"Lily, do you have to ask? You've seen Remus, James and Sirius play." Regulus said. "Did you ever see them not take risks in the game?"

"I expected risks from James and Sirius in games since they are Quidditch obsessed, but not you, Remus." Dora said looking at her husband.

Remus grinned. "Whenever I played, I played my best. That means taking risks and winning at all costs. I don't like losing."

Dora rolled her eyes. "Boys are all the same."

"You just figured that out?" Andy asked laughing.

"Nope just thought I'd say it." she grinned back. "You know Remus I don't think I've ever seen this side of you." she commented, when he looked confused she clarified. "You know like how you're messing around and teasing."

"Oh that's because we weren't there." Sirius put in. "He needed both me and Prongs to lighten him up a bit and make him relax."

"Yeah but Padfoot you were like that too." Remus pointed out, "If Prongs wasn't around you would usually behave." he smirked.

"Aww... glad to know you two missed me." James grinned.

"Of course we did." they replied seriously.

"Your our brother Prongs, how could we not miss you?" Remus asked rhetorically.

**With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.**

**"Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won."**

**And he fainted.**

**He came around, rain falling on his face, still lying on the field, with someone leaning over him. He saw a glitter of teeth.**

**"Oh, no, not you," he moaned.**

**"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."**

"Get away from him!" Most of them hissed.

**"No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks..."**

**He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.**

**"I don't want a photo of this, Colin," he said loudly.**

Everybody let a little chuckle out at that one.

**"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times ****-****"**

**"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.**

**"He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say ****-****"**

"I still think the one in your first was better." Ron grinned, "Imagine catching the Snitch in your mouth." he laughed.

"Never mind catching it. I almost swallowed it." Harry grinned. Everybody laughed at the reminder of that memory.

**Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.**

"What the hell happened to that Bludger?" Sirius said. No one answered him.

**"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.**

**"No ****-**** don't ****-****" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.**

**A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arm didn't hurt anymore ****-**** nor did it feel remotely like an arm.**

"What the hell did he do?" James and Lily growled angrily.

**"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen.****"**

"No, that happens when an idiot who can't do anything right, does the spell." Remus growled.

**"****But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing ****-**** ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? ****-**** and Madam Pomfrey will be able to ****-**** er ****-**** tidy you up a bit."**

**As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again.**

**Poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened.**

Lily clenched her teeth shut. "Tell me where this idiot is so I can go hex him."

"Mum, please calm down. You can't hex him." Harry said, "Poppy fixed my arm, while she was doing that I learned not to stay still if a rogue Bludger is after me."

Lily pouted, but nodded.

**Lockhart hadn't mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.**

"That's it he's dead." James growled.

"No he's not." Neville said, "He's worse than that, just wait and see."

"We're skipping to that night." Harry said.

**Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of pain: His arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.**

**"Get off!" he said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"**

"Why is Dobby there?" Sirius questioned.

"He's probably the one who hexed the Bludger to chase Harry." Remus replied. "Probably wants to talk to him."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked.

Remus smirked. "It's a guess."

**The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.**

**"Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"**

"It was him!" Sirius screamed. "He stopped the barrier from letting Harry and Ron through."

**Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away.**

**"What're you doing here?" he said. "And how did you know I missed the train?"**

**Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.**

**"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"**

**"Indeed yes, sir," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping.**

Sirius grumbled and said a few choose words about Dobby.

Harry frowned. "Sirius, shut up. Don't insult Dobby. He was a friend."

Sirius raised a brow and looked at him curiously, but didn't comment.

**"Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" ****-**** he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers ****-**** "but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"**

**He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.**

**"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir..."**

**Harry slumped back onto his pillows.**

**"You nearly got Ron and me expelled," he said fiercely. "You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you."**

**Dobby smiled weakly.**

"Don't threaten him, Harry. He gets enough threats at home." Lily groaned.

**"Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home."**

**He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself.**

**"Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?" he asked curiously.**

**"This, sir?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. "'Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever."**

**Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make ****-****"**

"I was right." Remus said in a sing-song voice.

"No one said you were wrong." James pointed out.

**"Your Bludger?" said Harry, anger rising once more. "What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"**

**"Not kill you, sir, never kill you!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!"**

**"Oh, is that all?" said Harry angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"**

**"Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir... And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more."**

"Great, more information for Harry to get more curious about and to get himself into more danger," Lily said annoyed.

**Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry's water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby..."**

**"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered. "And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!"**

**He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not Muggle-born ****-**** how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"**

**"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen ****-**** go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous ****-****"**

"He should really mind his own business." Remus said.

"So should Harry, but that never stops him." Molly replied. Harry nodded in agreement.

**"Who is it, Dobby?" Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"**

**"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Go home, Harry Potter, go home!"**

**"I'm not going anywhere!" said Harry fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened ****-****"**

"Ah, so a brave soul, but he was wrong." Hermione said. "There are a lot of other Muggleborns in the school who could be before me in that line."

"So you are all lining up and waited to be petrified or killed?" Regulus asked sarcastically. He was ignored.

**"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not ****-****"**

**Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.**

**"Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.**

"It's not fair that house-elves get to Apparate in Hogwarts and we can't." Sirius pouted.

"It's actually very helpful that they can." Hermione said, thinking about how much help they got from the elves because of that.

**Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.**

**"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.**

**"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.**

**"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs."**

**"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."**

"The first attack on Muggle-borns." James said sadly.

**Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.**

**It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.**

**"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.**

"What the bloody hell is doing this?" Sirius asked.

"Even the staff didn't know." Minerva said. "We never found out what the monster that did it was, I think Albus found out eventually though."

Everybody looked at the Golden Trio.

"You three know don't you?" Andy asked.

"Actually it's not just us this time." Harry smirked.

"Ginny, Neville and Luna know too." Ron grinned, "So do Mum, Dad, Fred and George."

The Silver Trio, Molly, Arthur and twins nodded.

"But were not saying anything." Hermione stated firmly, the others who knew nodding too, those who didn't know groaned.

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think... If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate ****-**** who knows what might have ****-****"**

Sirius laughed. "I doubt he was really going to go get hot chocolate."

"How many times did we run into him after curfew or at some weird time and he gave us one of those silly excuses?" James laughed.

"And every time he let us off the hook and let us go after telling us something silly to do on our walk." Remus joined in.

"Albus." Minerva frowned. "Oh I'll have to ask his portrait about that later."

**The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.**

**"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.**

**Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.**

**"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.**

**A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.**

"Oh my." Andy said. "This is really horrible."

**"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted..."**

**"What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.**

**"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."**

"The only problem is that we don't know where it is or what's in it." James said.

"And those who do aren't saying anything." Regulus glared at the Golden and Silver Trio's.

The twins snickered, "The funny thing is you'd never believe them or us if they told you what was in it. We only know what it is, not where the chamber is." Fred mused.

"Because it's creepy and still somewhat dangerous down there." Harry stated, "Even after it's been deserted and empty of all animals and beasts for years I wouldn't willingly show everyone where it is and how to get in."

"Does that mean you're not showing it?" Lily asked.

"I will be but I better not find out anyone's went down there, I'll be able to tell." he warned, "Mainly 'cause there's no way to avoid the slime and dirt."

**Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.**

**"But, Albus... surely... who?"**

**"The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how…" And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.**

"Right, let's take a break for lunch. It's 12.30." Harry said after looking at his watch. They all agreed and started talking until the women announced lunch was ready.

* * *

><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 - Second Year (Part 5.5)

8th, August, 1998.

Once everyone had eaten they were just sitting waiting on Harry, who was sorting memories. By the time he had finished Teddy had woken up from his nap.

"Unca Har? D'at?" the little boy asked pointing at the pensive.

"It's a pensive Teddy. It lets me show things to other people." Harry smiled, Teddy nodded still looking at it. "It's alright if he want's to watch this memory it's nothing dangerous." he said to Remus and Dora who nodded. "He's seen the same sort of stuff before with me and Draco trying to keep him entertained. The scariest thing he might see is a snake." he added.

Draco groaned. "You're showing the Dueling Club aren't you?"

"Of course I am. It's essential later on." Harry pointed out.

"He's right it might help you all understand more too." Hermione added thoughtfully, "Looking back on it three 12 year olds should never have been able to figure as much as we did out..."

"But we're so glad we did." Ron smiled.

"Exactly." Hermione and Harry said while nodding.

"What would have happened if you didn't?" Regulus asked. "I mean, no offence, but what can a couple of 12 year olds do?"

"No offence taken but to answer your question, it depends." Hermione replied, "Harry could always do more than me or Ron..."

"Hermione's always been the best at spells..." Ron cut in.

"And Ron has always been the best at strategy and planning." Harry finished smiling. "Together we're almost unstoppable..." he trailed off.

"But you don't abuse that fact, thankfully." Kingsley smiled. "I would not like to face you three in a duel." he added.

"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.

"The three of you are quite scary when your fighting." he replied nervously.

"He's right." the Weasley's, Draco, Cissy and Astoria nodded.

"I think we're outnumbered on that argument." Ron chuckled.

"Oh well at least it scares our opponents." Harry grinned.

"True enough." Hermione smirked. "Though I do have a question. Which one of us three is the scariest? I would say it's Harry when he's angry." she admitted.

"We would say it's Harry." the twins nodded, "We're not sure why, sorry Harry." Fred added. Harry rolled his eyes as almost everyone nodded.

"Ron you're the only one apart from me who hasn't said anything." Harry said eventually after everyone who could answer who was scariest had.

"Easy you know what I'm going to say..." Ron replied. "Harry you are the scariest person to duel. Especially after last year." he added quietly.

Harry nodded slowly. "I'm not even going to argue against that because I've scared myself sometimes." he said. "But on a slightly more cheerful note, here's the first class of the dueling club." he grinned as Draco let out another groan.

**Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff. He sat up quickly and looked over at Colin's bed, but it had been blocked from view by the high curtains Harry had changed behind yesterday. Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching his arm and fingers.**

**"All in order," she said as he clumsily fed himself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."**

**Harry dressed as quickly as he could and hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron and Hermione about Colin and Dobby, but they weren't there. Harry left to look for them, wondering where they could have got to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren't interested in whether he had his bones back or not.**

"As worried as I was, we had other things we needed to do." Hermione said.

"Like brewing a potion in the girls loo." Ron chuckled.

**As Harry passed the library, Percy Weasley strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met.**

**"Oh, hello, Harry," he said. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup ****-**** you earned fifty points!"**

**"You haven't seen Ron or Hermione, have you?" said Harry.**

**"No, I haven't," said Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another girls' toilet..."**

"That's how you found us so fast." Hermione sighed.

Harry nodded. "Thank you for jogging my memory Percy."

"I can't believe you three actually brewed a potion in a girls toilets." Percy frowned.

"Hey it was Hermione's idea this time. Both Harry and I have learned that Hermione's plans normally work." Ron grinned. "So we usually go along with them."

**Harry forced a laugh, watched Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He couldn't see why Ron and Hermione would be in there again,**

"Snogging, of course." Sirius said, grinning.

"Sirius, first, they are best friends at this time. And second, they are twelve." Lily scolded.

"Actually I'm thirteen at that point." Hermione admitted.

"Either way, you are still too young to be dating anyone and you wouldn't date your best friend." Lily said.

"Well I am now." Hermione said cuddling into Ron, who grinned. Everybody laughed at her come-back.

"She's got you there Lily." James chuckled.

"Yeah it just took a few years for them to get together." Harry laughed.

"And the whole school realised it before them." Ginny giggled making Ron and Hermione glare at her.

**but after making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, he opened the door and heard their voices coming from a locked stall.**

**"It's me," he said, closing the door behind him. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and he saw Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole.**

**"Harry!" she said. "You gave us such a fright ****-**** come in. How's your arm?"**

**"Fine," said Harry, squeezing into the stall.**

"Merlin, you must have all been really small to fit into one stall." Regulus said.

"We were." Hermione nodded, "Well me and Harry were smaller than Ron but we were still small."

**An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a specialty of Hermione's.**

"That's a useful way to use the spell, but not my favorite use." Sirius smirked.

"What's your favorite use?" Remus asked confused.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Sirius said outraged. "It was when Hermione set Snape's robe on fire."

"You set him on fire?" Petunia asked, Hermione nodded blushing. "Good. I don't like him." she explained.

"You never liked him." Lily frowned.

"He was creepy." Petunia said simply. Most people in the room laughed at that.

**"We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."**

**Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted.**

**"We already know ****-**** we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going ****-****"**

"Sheesh! Nothing can be kept a secret at Hogwarts. I'm sure the professors didn't want any students knowing that." Lily said.

"We didn't." Minerva nodded, "The last thing we wanted was to panic the students. But it got out anyway." she sighed.

"A missing student was bound to be noticed." Harry pointed out, "Especially when it's one of the more annoying one's, Colin was hardly quiet."

**"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."**

**"There's something else," said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."**

**Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him ****-**** or hadn't told him. Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths open.**

**"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione said.**

**"This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious.****"**

"I don't think so. Lucius wasn't Slytherin's heir." Cissy said. "And he wasn't at Hogwarts at that time, he wouldn't even have been born yet." she shrugged.

"We never thought of that." Ron admitted.

**"****Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."**

"That's a very good observation." Lily said.

**"Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself ****-**** pretend to be a suit of armor or something ****-**** I've read about Chameleon Ghouls ****-****"**

"They don't petrify people though." Remus said. "They just kill people."

**"You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches.**

"You guys argue so much. I can't figure out how you two could ever be friends." Dudley commented.

Hermione shrugged. "If it wasn't for Harry, we probably wouldn't have ever become friends."

"And I would be dead without both of them." Harry added.

"And so would most of us." Ron smiled sadly. "Either because of that troll or because of something else that has happened."

"If Harry died a lot of people would be dead." Ginny agreed.

**He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.**

**"So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm." He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."**

"A very good point." James said. "I wonder if Dobby knows he's doing more harm then good."

"He didn't." Harry chuckled. "We didn't bother telling him."

"We thought it'd be best not to upset him so much he tried to help more to make up for it and ended up making thing's worse." Hermione smiled.

**The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning.**

"Nice way of putting it." Remus said sarcastically.

**The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.**

**Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.**

"Sorry Ginny." the twins said honestly. Ginny didn't hear them, her eyes were clouded, like she was stuck in a memory.

"Ginny?" Molly asked.

"Gin." Harry said placing a hand on her arm. She jumped, blinked a few times, then looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay. We're skipping a little here." he announced, he put an arm around Ginny and she leaned into him gratefully.

"This is after we stole ingredients from Snape's private stores." Ron said looking worriedly at Ginny.

"I was about to say that." Harry frowned, "How did you know what one it was?"

"Nothing happened after the day we just saw, except us getting the ingredients." Hermione replied.

**A week later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited.**

**"They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days..."**

"More than we thought they would." Hermione muttered.

"Do you learn anything useful?" Lily asked.

"No, but we learn in a couple of years how to duel and protect ourselves." Hermione said.

"A couple of years?" James frowned, "I thought dueling was 4th year stuff?"

"It's not, it's actually 2nd year." Minerva admitted, "Doesn't help not having a competent teacher though."

"We learned as we went along." Harry told them, "Mainly acting on instincts and practicing aiming at targets." he shrugged.

"It was 5th year before we really learned how to duel properly." Ron frowned.

"And most of that was experience." Harry sighed, "Mainly my experiences."

**"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.**

**"Could be useful," he said to Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?"**

**Harry and Hermione were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.**

**"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young ****-**** maybe it'll be him."**

**"As long as it's not ****-****" Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.**

"Bet he lost a bet." James said.

"No he volunteered." Minerva frowned. "I think Severus just wanted to curse Lockhart. Most of the staff did." she chuckled.

"So, we have the slimy, mean git and an idiot who is self obsessed teaching." Sirius said, raising a brow. "This will go well." Lily smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Dont be mean Sirius." she scolded.

"It's true and you know it." he told her, she huffed but didn't reply.

**Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!****Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions ****-**** for full details, see my published works.****"**

"Oh, for the love of..." Remus smacked his forehead.

**"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin.****"**

"He definitely knows more than you." James said.

"Everyone knows more than Lockhart." Sirius retorted.

"Well, Snape has more experience with dueling seeing that we dueled him all the time at school." James replied. Lily smacked his head this time, "Ow, Lily come on you know I don't regret it, half the time he started it."

"Prongs most of the time it was you who started it, the other times it was Padfoot. Severus only started it a few times. It was wrong of you two to pick on him all the time." Remus scolded his fellow Marauders, "I should've stopped you when we were still at school, but I didn't and I regret not stopping you."

James and Sirius both looked guilty.

"You know I don't regret it Moony." Sirius huffed, "And the fact he was the one who kept provoking me and picking on Harry doesn't help his case."

"I suppose you're right Moony... He's still a slimy git though." James shrugged.

Remus sighed and didn't comment.

**"****Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry ****-**** you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"**

"Of course they will, it's you that won't make it out of this alive." Remus said, hope shining in his eyes.

"Maybe they'll finish each other off!" Sirius said excitedly.

"I doubt Severus will let himself be beaten by this idiot." Regulus said dryly, "After all, he could fight well enough against you and James."

**"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear.**

**Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at him like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.**

"Lockhart doesn't have a brain." Astoria said.

**Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.**

**"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."**

"Too bad." Remus muttered, he really wanted Lockhart gone.

**"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.**

**"One ****-**** two ****-**** three ****-****"**

**Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.**

Remus laughed. "That's not how the spell works, but this is a much better result."

"Severus was able to shout one spell and cast a different one." Draco smiled, "It used to confuse everybody."

**Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.**

"We hope not." the Marauders and twins said.

**"Who cares?" said Harry and Ron together.**

**Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.**

**"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm ****-**** as you see, I've lost my wand ****-**** ah, thank you, Miss Brown ****-**** yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy ****-**** however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."**

Sirius snorted. "I bet the slimy git loved hearing that."

"I'm surprised he can still stand." Regulus said coldly.

**Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me ****-****"**

**They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.**

**"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter ****-****"**

**Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.**

"That's not going to work." Minerva said.

**"I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter.****"**

"He had to put you two together didn't he?" Minerva sighed.

"Of course he did." they replied.

"He knew we hated each other and he wasn't very happy with me at that time." Draco explained.

"And he hated me anyway." Harry added. "So he put me with someone I hated at the time."

**"****And you, Miss Granger ****-**** you can partner Miss Bulstrode."**

"That won't go well. I've seen her father. He's big, she's probably like him." Sirius said.

"She is." Hermione confirmed, "But I knew way more spells."

"Add to the fact that Hermione's stronger than she looks..." Harry trailed off as Hermione smirked dangerously.

**Malfoy strutted over, smirking. Behind him walked a Slytherin girl who reminded Harry of a picture he'd seen in Holidays with Hags. She was large and square and her heavy jaw jutted aggressively. Hermione gave her a weak smile that she did not return.**

**"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"**

**Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.**

"That's a smart move. That's what they should teach you in Dueling Club." James said.

"That's for sure. If it's a real fight, your opponent, especially if he or she is a Death Eater, will fire a spell at you while you're bowing." Sirius commented.

**"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents ****-**** only to disarm them ****-**** we don't want any accidents ****-**** one... two... three ****-****"**

"That's not going to happen with all those Slytherins there." Sirius barked.

"We aren't all cheaters and prejudiced gits." Astoria protested.

"Yeah." the other Slytherins complained.

"What I meant was the majority of the Slytherins there, not all of them but most of them." Sirius corrected himself.

"Can't argue about that." Draco admitted. "I know most of the Slytherins in our year, including myself, would have attacked if anyone had looked away." he blushed.

**Harry swung his wand high, but Malfoy had already started on "two": His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, "Rictusempra!"**

**A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.**

**"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor,**

"That is very honorary of you, but I hope you don't do that in a real fight. That would get you killed." James said.

"Obviously." Harry rolled his eyes. "You are remembering that we're 12 in these memories and probably couldn't kill each other yet."

"Unless it was death by laughing." Draco added cheerfully.

**but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, "Tarantallegra!" and the next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.**

**"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge. "Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.**

**A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor.**

"Why did you get rid of your wand?" Ron asked.

"I didn't really have much choice. I disarmed her and she didn't like that, so she came at me. She knocked the wands out of my hands." Hermione replied dryly.

"Why didn't you curse her as she was charging at you?" Dora asked.

"I thought about it, but I didn't think of a curse fast enough." she shrugged.

**Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was.**

**"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan..."**

**"Careful there, Miss Fawcett... Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second,"**

**"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair ****-**** Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you ****-****"**

**"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker.**

"I'm not that bad." Neville protested, "Even if he probably would have been hurt it wouldnt have been as bad as to be sent to the hospital wing in a matchbox." he added.

**"How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.**

"This will go well." Bill groaned.

"Of course it will. Way to think positive!" Harry said sarcastically, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could spend weeks in the hospital wing." Lily pointed out.

"We were 12." Draco reminded her, "We probably couldn't cause too much damage if we wanted to."

"Especially with a proper teacher there." Minerva added, "Severus may have favoured his own house but he wouldn't have allowed any serious damage to any student if he had the power to stop it."

**"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.**

**"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this."**

**He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops**** -**** my wand is a little overexcited**** -****"**

"Just ignore him and run while you can." Fluer suggested.

"I'm pretty sure there's no way in hell a wand could be exited." Bill muttered.

**Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"**

**"Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.**

**"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.**

**Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"**

**"What, drop my wand?"**

Everyone laughed.

"No don't do that." Draco smirked, "I may have lost due to laughing too much."

**But Lockhart wasn't listening.**

**"Three ****-**** two ****-**** one ****-**** go!" he shouted.**

**Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"**

**The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.**

"That is actually very advanced magic." Lily said impressed.

"Draco, how did you know that spell?" Cissy asked suspiciously. "That definitely wasn't the first time you tried it because it was done perfectly."

Draco went pink, "I may have sneaked into Father's study and borrowed the book with the spell in it." he said quietly.

"He must have left the charms off. He usually put charms on them to stop Draco getting to them. Some of the stuff was really dark and he knew it would be tracked back to him if Draco knew them." Cissy explained.

"That's what Uncle Sev said." Draco mused.

**"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."**

**"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.**

"D'at?" Teddy asked suddenly pointing at the snake.

"It's a snake and that one is bad." Dora told him.

"B-a-d 'nake." Teddy nodded, this made everyone chuckle.

**Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward**

"Oh no what are you doing?" Amber asked nervously, she was bouncing Cecelia on her knee.

**as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave him alone!" And miraculously ****-**** inexplicably ****-**** the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained.**

"Of course. Parseltounge." James slapped a hand to his forehead. "How could we forget you can talk to snakes."

"You can what?" Dudley asked.

"Talk to snakes." Harry grinned. "Piers wasn't lying when he said I talked to that snake on your 11th birthday at the zoo Dud."

"I thought he was just trying to get you in trouble." Dudley replied shocked.

"Nope, I really can talk to snakes." he shrugged.

**He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful ****-**** but certainly not angry and scared.**

**"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.**

**Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.**

**"Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move ****-**** come on ****-****"**

"Thank Merlin your friends are there." Andy said.

**Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room.**

**Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"**

**"I'm a what?" said Harry.**

**"A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!"**

**"I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once ****-**** long story ****-**** but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard ****-****"**

"And that's what you talked about?" Dudley asked amused, "You asked a snake where it came from and it had never been there before?"

"That's what we talked about yes." Harry confirmed. "Hey Ron, Hermione." they looked at him. "I've just noticed something. That snake I set loose was just about the same size as Nagini you don't think..." he trailed off.

"Anything is possible but I doubt it." Hermione frowned.

"Who's Nagini?" Lily asked.

"Voldemort's snake." Luna told her.

"His familiar." Harry nodded, "Evil as him. Maybe worse because it was venomous and ate people." he shuddered.

**"A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly.**

**"So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it."**

**"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."**

**"What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin ****-****"**

**"Oh, that's what you said to it?"**

**"What d'you mean? You were there ****-**** you heard me ****-****"**

"Hadn't you been listening? Ron just said you spoke Parseltounge." Sirius said.

"I didn't understand that they couldn't and can't understand me when I speak it." Harry admitted sheepishly.

**"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything ****-**** no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something ****-**** it was creepy, you know ****-****"**

"It's not that creepy." Ginny disagreed. "It just takes some getting used to."

**Harry gaped at him.**

**"I spoke a different language? But ****-**** I didn't realize ****-**** how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"**

**Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn't see what was so terrible.**

**"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" he said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"**

**"It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."**

"What are you trying to say, Hermione?" Sirius said dangerously.

**Harry's mouth fell open.**

**"Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something ****-****"**

**"But I'm not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain.**

**"You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."**

"Thank god it's the other three founders and not that one." James said, "I will admit that I have no idea how you are a Parselmouth though." he admitted looking confused.

"I have no idea I never did find out how I could still do it without Voldemort being alive, before Death gave us the power of language that is." Harry frowned, "I know that on the night Voldemort failed to kill me I got a few of his powers accidentally but I would have thought they would disappear when he was fully dead."

"Maybe it's because you had the talent for so many years it became your own." Hermione said shrugging. "And how did you know you could still speak it anyway?"

"Well that's the end of the memory so I'll show you." Harry took his wand out, "Serpensortia." a little corn snake burst out of the end of his wand. /Hello/ he hissed while picking the snake up gently and ignoring how everyone either shuddered or jumped. /What's your name? Mine is Harry Potter/

The snake looked up, /You are a ssspeaker?/ it hissed, /My name is Roland. I have never met a ssspeaker before/

"This is Roland. He keeps calling me a speaker." Harry said in english.

"Umm... Harry? I just understood that." Ginny said hesitantly. "When you were speaking to the snake." Roland hissed loudly. /Yes I know your name is Roland/ she snapped not realising she was speaking Parseltounge.

"Ginny you just spoke Parseltounge." Percy said shocked.

"It must be part of that thing death gave to them remember: power of language and control of animals?" Remus said.

"That has to be it." Ginny nodded. /I'm Ginny by the way/ she told the snake. /It's nice to meet you/

/Another ssspeaker? Thatsss amaz(sss)ing/ Roland looked between Harry and Ginny. /May I leave? I must tell my fellow ssssnakesss about yousss?/

/We will let you go if you promise not to attack any humans/ Harry hissed.

/Why would I attack humansss, I only eat small rodentsss/ the snake replied.

/Okay I'll let you go out side/ Ginny said allowing the snake to slither onto her wrist, she then got up and went to the kitchen.

"She's letting him go outside." Harry explained, "He's promised not to attack humans. Well technically he said it's useless because he only eats small rodents. He's venomous too." he added, "There is no way I would let a venomous snake anywhere near me or anyone else on purpose."

"Especially after Nagini?" Hermione asked, he nodded as Ginny walked back in and sat down.

"Well it appears I can talk to snakes as well now." she sighed.

"It's not that bad Gin." Harry soothed. "If my thinking is right then we might be able to understand other animals too."

"I know it's not that bad. It's just..." she trailed off.

"I know but it could be a lifesaver." Harry said thinking of the basilisk and understanding Ginny's reluctance about talking to snakes. "Think about it. If we can understand animals like owls and maybe some dangerous ones we might be able to find out why they behave the way they do."

"You know thats actually a good point." Hermione nodded, "If you can communicate with them then you can find out why they attack people or why they act like they do."

"But we can figure this out more later, right now let's continue with the memories." Harry smiled, "This next one is the day after the whole 'I'm a Parselmouth' thing came out."

* * *

><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45 - Second Year (Part 6)

8th, August, 1998.

"Right this memory will cover the day after everyone found out about me being a Parselmouth then it will skip a little, I'll tell you when, and it will cover the day we used the Polyjuice Potion." Harry explained as the memory started.

**By next morning, however, the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.**

**Harry fretted about this next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time off to play a game of wizard chess.**

**"For heaven's sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron's bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and find Justin if it's so important to you."**

"You were being annoying." Hermione commented. Harry pouted.

**So Harry got up and left through the portrait hole, wondering where Justin might be.**

**The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window. Shivering, Harry walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. Resisting the urge to take a look, Harry walked on by, thinking that Justin might be using his free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the library first.**

**A group of the Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. He couldn't see whether Justin was among them. He was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met his ears, and he paused to listen, hidden in the Invisibility section.**

"A great section to eavesdrop in." Remus grinned.

"And who did eavesdrop on?" Sirius asked, raising a brow.

Remus smirked. "Do you guys remember third year when you spent all that time in the library and wouldn't tell me why? Everyone thought you guys were planning something horrible and were really scared."

"You spied on us?" James asked.

Remus shrugged. "I wanted to know what you guys were doing. You weren't telling me so I thought I would find out for myself. I wanted to know what was going on."

"You heard what we were talking about?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded his head.

"That's why you were so angry with us those few weeks in 3rd year before christmas?" Sirius questioned.

"Yes. It was an extremely dangerous thing to do." Remus said.

"But we were some of the best students in our year and besides we were only researching it then." James replied.

"What are you three talking about?" Andy asked.

"The Animagus transformation. Remus was mad when he found out what we were doing." Sirius suggested.

"I would imagine." Minerva frowned, "You shouldn't have done it on your own. It's dangerous if it goes wrong."

"Well how else would we have done it if not on our own?" James asked.

"I would have helped you even if you never told me why you wanted to do it." she explained. "I would have reasoned that if you didn't have help you would have done it yourselves so I would have helped you because of the dangers involved."

"We did consider asking for help but if we had people would have known and I would still be in Azkaban." Sirius said.

"Fair enough." Minerva sighed. "But you should've asked for help."

"Too late it's done now." James grinned.

**"So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?"**

"Oh great, they think your Slytherin's heir now don't they?" Regulus asked.

"Yes. The whole school did. Well except a few people." Harry smiled.

**"You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously.**

**"Hannah," said the stout boy solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."**

**There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know ****-**** Creevey's been attacked."**

"I can see their reasoning but it's not Harry." James frowned.

**"He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly, "and, well, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?"**

"I like her, defending my son." Lily said.

"Hannah's like that. She doesn't believe all the rumors unless they are proven to be true. She looks at things logically as well." Hermione smiled.

"Yeah I mean she was one of the few who didn't look at Harry and see a crazy attention seeking lunatic." Ron chuckled.

"Thank you for the description Ron." Harry said sarcastically. "It's mostly Rita Skeeter that started that." he explained to those who looked confused.

"And now she can't get work anywhere." Kingsley grinned.

**Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Harry edged nearer so that he could catch Ernie's words.**

**"No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You- Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?"**

"Harry was a baby when that happened. You can't decide that you're going to be a Dark Lord while you're a baby." Remus said. "It's something you decided of your own free will as you grow up."

"They don't see it that way." Harry frowned. "Most people think it was dark magic that saved me from the killing curse but it was the other way around. It was the lightest magic in the world. Love." he stated.

**Harry couldn't take anymore. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he hadn't been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him funny: Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the color was draining out of Ernie's face.**

**"Hello," said Harry. "I'm looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley."**

Lily hit her forehead with her hand.

"Do you ever think?" Hermione scoffed.

"Of course. I said it on purpose just to scare them." Harry smirked. "They already thought I was evil and I knew where Justin was anyway."

**The Hufflepuffs' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.**

**"What do you want with him?" said Ernie in a quavering voice.**

**"I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Dueling Club," said Harry.**

**Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."**

**"Then you noticed that after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?" said Harry.**

**"All I saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin."**

**"I didn't chase it at him!" Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "It didn't even touch him!"**

**"It was a very near miss," said Ernie. "And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so ****-****"**

"Nobody cares about your blood." Sirius hissed.

"Especially Harry." Lily smiled.

**"- I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" said Harry fiercely. "Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?"**

"Good point seeing as one of his best friends is a Muggle-born and so was his mother." Remus said.

"I can't believe people didn't think about that." Lily shook her head.

"Fear can blind people." Hermione said simply.

**"I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly.**

**"It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try it."**

"Were we really that bad?" Dudley asked. Harry nodded.

"Sorry." Petunia and Dudley said. Harry just smiled.

**He turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook.**

**Harry blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where he was going, he was in such a fury. The result was that he walked into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto the floor.**

**"Oh, hello, Hagrid," Harry said, looking up.**

**Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands.**

**"All righ', Harry?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?"**

**"Canceled," said Harry, getting up. "What're you doing in here?"**

**Hagrid held up the limp rooster.**

**"Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."**

**He peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snowflecked eyebrows.**

**"Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an' bothered ****-****"**

**Harry couldn't bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him.**

**"It's nothing," he said. "I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next and I've got to pick up my books."**

**He walked off, his mind still full of what Ernie had said about him.**

**"Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born..."**

"I have a feeling that he's going to get petrified soon." Regulus said.

**Harry stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over something lying on the floor.**

"That'll be Justin." Astoria sighed.

**He turned to squint at what he'd fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved.**

**Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.**

"Harry is going to get blamed again." Lily said sadly.

"You have the worst luck ever." Sirius said.

"And don't we know it." the Golden Trio replied as one.

**And that wasn't all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight Harry had ever seen.**

**It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's.**

"What could do that to a ghost?" Cissy asked shocked. She didn't get an answer but Remus looked thoughtful.

**Harry got to his feet, his breathing fast and shallow, his heart doing a kind of drumroll against his ribs. He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.**

**He could run, and no one would ever know he had been there. But he couldn't just leave them lying here... He had to get help... Would anyone believe he hadn't had anything to do with this?**

"Stop being so noble." Sirius said. "You need to get out of there. Someone will find him eventually."

**As he stood there, panicking, a door right next to him opened with a bang. Peeves the Poltergeist came shooting out.**

**"Why, it's potty wee Potter!" cackled Peeves, knocking Harry's glasses askew as he bounced past him. "What's Potter up to? Why's Potter lurking ****-****"**

**Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"**

"Damn it Peeves!" Lily screamed.

**Crash ****-**** crash ****-**** crash ****-**** door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Harry found himself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene.**

**"Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.**

"Damn this kid." Sirius hissed.

"Is that all he really cares about? His friend was just petrified." Remus scoffed.

**"That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.**

**Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song:**

**"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off' students, you think it's good fun ****-****"**

"He kept that song going for ages." Harry pouted.

**"That's enough Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry.**

**Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Harry and Professor McGonagall alone together.**

**"This way, Potter," she said.**

**"Professor," said Harry at once, "I swear I didn't ****-****"**

**"This is out of my hands, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly.**

"Do you really believe he would do this?" Lily asked angrily.

"No I didn't believe such a thing. You are a Muggle-born and James is a prankster, but he never did anything that could seriously harm a student. I know Harry would never harm someone innocent." McGonagall defended herself, "I was just doing my job. Besides Albus wanted to talk with him anyway."

**They marched in silence around a corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.**

"Ah, Dumbledore's office!" Sirius sighed happily.

"Our second home inside Hogwarts." James said.

"You spent about half your time in there each school year." Minerva said dryly.

"Yes and the other half in yours Minerva." Remus laughed.

**"Lemon drop!" she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even full of dread for what was coming, Harry couldn't fail to be amazed. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, Harry saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.**

**He knew now where he was being taken. This must be where Dumbledore lived.**

**They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Harry to wait and left him there, alone.**

**Harry looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting.**

**If he hadn't been scared out of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it.**

**It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat ****-**** the Sorting Hat.**

**Harry hesitated. He cast a wary eye around the sleeping witches and wizards on the walls. Surely it couldn't hurt if he took the hat down and tried it on again? Just to see... just to make sure it had put him in the right House.**

**He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on. Harry stared at the black inside of the hat, waiting. Then a small voice said in his ear, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?"**

**"Er, yes," Harry muttered. "Er ****-**** sorry to bother you ****-**** I wanted to ask ****-****"**

**"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said the hat smartly. "Yes... you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before ****-****" Harry's heart leapt ****-**** "you would have done well in Slytherin ****-****"**

"The Sorting Hat was probably always going to put him in Gryffindor. It just doesn't like being told what to do." Sirius said.

"And you know this how?" Fred asked.

"I told him if he put me in Slytherin, I would set him on fire and leave school." Sirius explained.

"Sirius!" Regulus scolded. "You can't set the Sorting Hat on fire."

"I wouldn't have actually done it but I would have left." he replied.

**Harry's stomach plummeted. He grabbed the point of the hat and pulled it off. It hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto its shelf, feeling sick.**

**"You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent hat. It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made him wheel around.**

**He wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Harry thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.**

"Sounds like a Burning Day for Fawkes." Remus said.

"A what?" Petunia asked.

"A Burning Day. Fawkes is a Phoenix, when it's time for them to die they burn and are re-born from the ashes." Lily explained.

"You will see in a minute." Harry added.

**Harry was just thinking that all he needed was for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames.**

**Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk.**

James and Remus laughed and looked at Sirius. He about had a heart attack when he first saw that.

**He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldn't see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor.**

**The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.**

**"Professor," Harry gasped. "Your bird ****-**** I couldn't do anything ****-**** he just caught fire ****-****"**

"Better than how Sirius tried to explain it." Remus laughed.

**To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled.**

**"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."**

**He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face.**

**"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him..."**

**Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.**

"Too bad. He's really beautiful on a good day." Lily said.

"That's quite cool though." Dudley said. "That Phoenix's can do that I mean."

"It is quite cool." Amber agreed.

**"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."**

"That's only if you can tame them." Remus said.

"Or if they choose you as a familiar." Lily added.

**In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, but it all came back to him as Dumbledore settled himself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Harry with his penetrating, light-blue stare.**

**Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand.**

**"It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir ****-****"**

"Hagrid is a really loyal friend." Dora said.

**Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere. "it can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to."**

**"Hagrid, I ****-****"**

**"****-**** yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never ****-****"**

**"Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people."**

"And that was a relief to hear." Harry muttered. "I thought I was in trouble."

**"Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster."**

**And he stomped out looking embarrassed.**

**"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk.**

**"No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you."**

**Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together.**

**"I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. He thought of Malfoy shouting, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" and of the Polyjuice Potion simmering away in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Then he thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice and remembered what Ron had said: "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected with Salazar Slytherin...**

"Tell him, Harry. It will help." Lily pleaded.

**"No," said Harry. "There isn't anything, Professor..."**

Lily groaned.

**The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost? ****P****eople asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.**

**"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be."**

**Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. But Harry was glad that most people were leaving. He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors, as though he was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as he passed.**

**Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."**

**Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior.**

"It was annoying." Percy explained.

"But Perce... You grew up with both of us annoying you constantly..." Fred started.

"We would have thought you were used to it..." George continued.

"By then!" they finished.

"They've got a point Percy." Charlie chuckled.

"I agree with Percy. It was annoying." Ginny said, she had looked paler than normal since the last attack, Harry put his arm around her again.

"Same here." Ron and Hermione said together.

"It made me feel better at the time but now it does seem a bit annoying." Harry admitted, "Sorry guys." the twins pouted.

**"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.**

**"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."**

**"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.**

"Wait a minute... Fanged... The monsters a snake isn't it?" Remus asked.

The Golden Trio looked at each other. "Should we just tell them?" Harry asked his best friends so no-one else could hear except Ginny.

"I suppose." Hermione shrugged. "They know it's a snake but not the type."

"I vote that we should tell them." Ron agreed, Ginny nodded.

"It's a Basilisk." Harry said louder so everyone could hear them.

"A Basilisk!" Lily shrieked.

"I thought that was a rumour." Dora said.

"Nope it's true." Ginny sighed. "Only 4 people have seen it."

"Well not counting those who got petrified." Harry added. "Hold on." he paused the memory and ran upstairs.

"Where's he going?" George asked.

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Ron has he still got the you know what?"

"Yes he has." he replied as Harry came back downstairs.

"This is a fang from the Basilisk." Harry said holding up the yellowed tooth, it was about 3 inches long.

"How did you get that?" James asked hesitantly.

"You will find out soon." Hermione told them. "And if you don't know what it is then it's explained later." Harry sat down and started the memory again.

**Ginny didn't find it amusing either.**

**"Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met.**

**Harry didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous. But their antics seemed to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it.**

**"It's because he's bursting to say it's really him," said Ron knowingly. "You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work."**

"Nope, it was because my father told me to stay out of it. I was still into the whole blood purity thing at that point." Draco blushed.

"But you're not into it now." Astoria soothed.

"Were skipping a little." Harry said.

**Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory, were woken very early by Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for them both.**

"It's so unfair that girls can come up to our dorms but we can't go up to theirs." Sirius pouted.

"Hermione, just because there are no traps on the stairs that would appear when a girl goes up the stairs, doesn't mean it is allowed." Minerva scolded. Hermione shrugged.

"Do Harry and Ron know that they can't get up to the girl dorms yet?" Lily asked.

Hermione laughed. "No. They learn though." both boys blushed.

"Lucky we never learned the hard way." James said.

"How did you guys know?" Lily asked.

"Remus told us in our 2nd year, there wasn't any reason for us to try it in 1st. It's in Hogwarts A History." Sirius explained before turning to Hermione. "You're evil. You should have known that they would try to get up the girl dorms at one point in their Hogwarts time. And I know you read Hogwarts A History. You should have told them."

Hermione grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"

Sirius gaped at her.

"You shouldn't be shocked, Padfoot. She acts like Lily and me. This is her Marauding spirit. I was actually thinking about not telling you guys about the stairs, but I decided to be nice." Remus replied.

James and Sirius looked at each other shocked.

**"Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window.**

"A better wake-up call then what I used to get." Remus said.

"What were yours like?" Dora asked curiously.

"These two idiots jumping on my bed." Remus motioned to Sirius and James, "spraying me with water, flipping my bed over, hitting me with pillows, and carrying my bed with me half asleep on it down to the Great Hall then putting my bed in the center of the Great Hall."

Hermione laughed. "I love the last one the most."

Lily grinned. "It was really funny. When everyone came into the Great Hall, they just froze at the sight of the bed and James and Sirius standing on top of the tables dueling without a care in the world."

"That was great." James grinned.

"You also set me on fire once." Remus huffed.

"It was perfectly safe and controlled." James told him, "It was just after I told those two about the powers." he added to the rest, "And it was funny watching his reaction, I did it to Padfoot too."

"Yeah, I didn't panic though." Sirius smirked, "I had a feeling you'd try something like that."

"Safe or not what would've happened if you'd lost control of it?" Dora asked.

"He wouldn't of." Lily assured her, "He's done it to me too and he's never slipped once."

"It's like a second nature thing once you get used to it." James shrugged, "I've been able to do the fire thing since I was 14 when my Dad took the block off of it. Eventually I could control it with a thought, tell it not to burn or damage anything, change its colour and shape, that kind of thing." he explained.

"It's came in handy a few times." Lily mused, "Especially because no one could tie him up, he'd just burn the ropes away."

"Leaving me free. That's how we escaped Voldemort the first time, he put it down to accidental magic. He had us tied up with our wands in sight so I just burned the ropes off us when the guards weren't looking and we got our wands, stunned the guard and got away without being noticed by anyone dangerous." James smirked.

"Very helpful then." Harry mused.

"Especially when it came to waking the stubborn people in the dormitory." he nodded, smirking.

"To be fair it was only Sirius who refused to get up every single day." Remus pointed out, "I was only stubborn before the full moon."

"He has a point, you two were always way too cheerful in the morning." Sirius muttered.

**"Hermione ****-**** you're not supposed to be in here ****-****" said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light.**

**"Happy Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready."**

**Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake.**

**"Are you sure?"**

"Why must you question me?" Hermione huffed.

"Easy, it was the first time we made that potion and I was nervous about taking it." Harry smirked.

**"Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."**

"You're going to do it on Christmas?" James asked.

"Why wait?" Ron shrugged.

**At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak.**

**"Hello," said Harry happily as she landed on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?"**

**She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way, which was a far better present than the one that she had brought him, which turned out to be from the Dursleys. They had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too.**

"I don't know why Vernon bothered." Petunia sighed.

**The rest of Harry's Christmas presents were far more satisfactory. Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating; Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, a book of interesting facts about his favorite Quidditch team, and Hermione had bought him a luxurious eagle-feather quill. Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley and a large plum cake. He read her card with a fresh surge of guilt, thinking about Mr. Weasley's car (which hadn't been seen since its crash with the Whomping Willow), and the bout of rule-breaking he and Ron were planning next.**

"At least Harry thinks about what he's going to do and all the rules he breaks. These two," Remus pointed at Sirius and James, "never thought about that. They just acted without thinking."

"That doesn't excuse all the rules they are breaking." Lily huffed.

"It only gets worse as the years go by, Mum. So you'll just have to get use to it." Harry replied.

Lily groaned.

**No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts.**

**The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read "Pinhead," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. Harry didn't even care that Draco Malfoy was making loud, snide remark about his new sweater from the Slytherin table. With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his comeuppance in a few hours' time.**

**Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening.**

**"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. "And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe's and Goyle's; they're Malfoys best friends, he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him.****I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Ron's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet."**

**Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other.**

**"Hermione, I don't think ****-****"**

**"That could go seriously wrong ****-****"**

Hermione rolled her eyes.

**But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had.**

**"The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"**

"Man, when you do something, you go all out." Sirius laughed.

"I just spent a month of my life making a very difficult potion and breaking a lot of rules. I wasn't going to let all that go to waste because those two idiots thought it wouldn't work." Hermione said.

Ron and Harry huffed. "We didn't say it wouldn't work, when have we ever doubted you?" Ron asked. Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Okay once or twice but at that time we were 12 and unfamiliar with the potion." Harry nodded his agreement.

"Anyone else notice they didn't argue about being idiots?" Ginny asked.

"Well... When Hermione says were being idiots she's usually right." Harry explained. "We have argued about it so often it got boring so Ron and I decided we'd just accept it." everyone laughed.

**"Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?"**

**"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Dueling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas ****-**** so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."**

"You should just not go." Sirius said. "It would be safer and wouldn't cause any suspicion when you disappear after an hour."

"Besides that, are you sure that it is her hair?" Remus asked.

Hermione muttered something under her breath and looked away.

"I guess that means it's not her hair." Sirius grinned. "I wonder what happens."

**When Hermione had bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression.**

**"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"**

"Yep." Remus looked at James, who scowled. "But her plan is really good. It should work if they do everything correctly."

**But to Harry's and Ron's utter amazement, stage one of the operation went just as smoothly as Hermione had said. They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helpings of trifle. Harry had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters. When they spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door.**

**"How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them.**

"They must be really stupid." Remus commented.

"They are." Draco frowned.

**Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor.**

**By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the hall. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs. They also stole their shoes, because their own were far too small for Crabbe - and Goyle-size feet. Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.**

**They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the stall in which Hermione was stirring the cauldron. Pulling their robes up over their faces, Harry and Ron knocked softly on the door.**

**"Hermione?"**

**They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced and looking anxious.**

**Behind her they heard the gloop gloop of the bubbling, glutinous potion. Three glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat.**

**"Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly.**

**Harry showed her Goyle's hair.**

**"Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle."**

**The three of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly.**

**"I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously rereading the splotched page of Moste Potente Potions. "It looks like the book says it should... once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves."**

**"Now what?" Ron whispered.**

**"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs."**

**Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode's hair out of its bottle into the first glass.**

**The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow.**

"That's not supposed to happen. It's not meant to hiss that much." Lily groaned.

**"Urgh ****-**** essence of Millicent Bulstrode," said Ron, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting."**

**"Add yours, then," said Hermione.**

**Harry dropped Goyle's hair into the middle glass and Ron put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki color of a booger, Crabbe's a dark, murky brown.**

**"Hang on," said Harry as Ron and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink them in here... Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie."**

**"Good thinking," said Ron, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls."**

**Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Harry slipped into the middle stall.**

**"Ready?" he called.**

**"Ready," came Ron's and Hermione's voices.**

**"One ****-**** two ****-**** three ****-****"**

**Pinching his nose, Harry drank the potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage.**

"That sound's worse than when we tried it." James said indicating Sirius then himself. "We decided to Polyjuice ourselves as each other for a day. Just for fun." he added.

"And confusing for the teachers." Minerva huffed.

**Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he'd just swallowed live snakes ****-**** doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick ****-**** then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes ****-**** next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax ****-**** and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts ****-**** his shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows ****-**** his robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops ****-**** his feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small.**

**As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Harry lay facedown on the stone-cold floor, listening to Myrtle gurgling morosely in the end toilet. With difficulty, he kicked off his shoes and stood up. So this was what it felt like, being Goyle. His large hand trembling, he pulled off his old robes, which were hanging a foot above his ankles, pulled on the spare ones, and laced up Goyle's boatlike shoes. He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and met only the short growth of wiry bristles, low on his forehead. Then he realized that his glasses were clouding his eyes because Goyle obviously didn't need them ****-**** he took them off and called, "Are you two okay?" Goyle's low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth.**

**"Yeah," came the deep grunt of Crabbe from his right.**

**Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle.**

"It does feel really weird." Sirius said.

**Ron's door opened. They stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-bowl haircut to the long, gorilla arms.**

**"This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. "Unbelievable."**

**"We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow..."**

"You should have found it before taking the potion." Remus said.

"That was one of the things we messed up on." Hermione muttered.

**Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking." He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go ****-****"**

**A high-pitched voice answered him.**

**"I ****-**** I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me."**

Sirius grinned. "Something went wrong."

Hermione slunk back in her seat.

**"Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you ****-****"**

**"No ****-**** really ****-**** I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time ****-****"**

**Harry looked at Ron, bewildered.**

**"That looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question."**

Everybody snickered.

**"Hermione, are you okay?" said Harry through the door.**

**"Fine ****-**** I'm fine ****-**** go on ****-****"**

**Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed.**

**"We'll meet you back here, all right?" he said.**

**Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off.**

**"Don't swing your arms like that," Harry muttered to Ron.**

**"Eh?"**

**"Crabbe holds them sort of stiff..."**

**"How's this?"**

**"Yeah, that's better..."**

**They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Slytherin that they could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around.**

**"Any ideas?" muttered Harry.**

**"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," said Ron, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. The words had barely left his mouth when a girl with long, curly hair emerged from the entrance.**

**"Excuse me," said Ron, hurrying up to her. "We've forgotten the way to our common room."**

**"I beg your pardon?" said the girl stiffly. "Our common room? I'm a Ravenclaw."**

"Whoops." Bill said.

"What's a Ravenclaw doing down there?" Remus asked.

**She walked away, looking suspiciously back at them.**

**Harry and Ron hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Crabbe's and Goyle's huge feet hit the floor, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped.**

**The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.**

**"Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!"**

**The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy.**

"What were you doing down there?" Sirius asked.

"Mind your own business." Percy said, his neck looked a little red.

**"What're you doing down here?" said Ron in surprise.**

**Percy looked affronted.**

**"That," he said stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Crabbe, isn't it?"**

**"Wh ****-**** oh, yeah," said Ron.**

**"Well, get off to your dormitories," said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days."**

**"You are," Ron pointed out.**

**"I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a prefect. Nothing's about to attack me."**

Fred rolled his eyes. "That's not going to mean anything to a monster, Perce."

**A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.**

**"There you are," he drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny."**

**Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy.**

**"And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered.**

**Percy looked outraged.**

**"You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"**

**Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley ****-****"**

**"Percy," Ron corrected him automatically.**

"Don't do that." Sirius groaned. "You're supposed to be a mindless follower."

"Don't worry I rarely listened to them because they didn't talk much." Draco frowned. "I'll admit I was a little suspicious though."

**"Whatever," said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed."**

"Nah, it's a secret girlfriend." James said grinning.

Percy blushed.

**He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks.**

**Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.**

**"What's the new password again?" he said to Harry.**

**"Er ****-****" said Harry.**

**"Oh, yeah ****-**** pure-blood!" said Malfoy,**

"Figures." Sirius snorted.

**not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Ron followed him.**

**The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.**

**"Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it my father's just sent it to me ****-****"**

**Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home.**

**Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Ron's nose.**

**"That'll give you a laugh," he said.**

**Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in shock. He read the clipping quickly, gave a very forced laugh, and handed it to Harry.**

**It had been clipped out of the Daily Prophet, and it said:**

**INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

"Oh no, that doesn't sound good." Lily said.

"As 'Mione said... It gets worse in later years." Ron replied.

**Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.**

"How is that suppose to be a laugh?" Sirius growled.

**Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley's resignation.**

James snarled and started saying a few choose words about Lucius.

**"Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."**

"That car had nothing to do with the Muggle Protection Act." Cissy frowned. "I told him not to bother about it, but he done it anyway."

**Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them.**

"Brilliant Molly." Dora grinned.

"Thank you." Molly blushed.

**"Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as Harry handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?"**

**"Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly.**

**"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave."**

**Ron's ****-**** or rather, Crabbe's ****-**** face was contorted with fury.**

**"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.**

**"Stomachache," Ron grunted.**

"It would be a good idea to cover Teddy's ears." Ron said to Dora who nodded and did as he advised.

**"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy, snickering. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in."**

"The Headmaster doesn't decide who gets to come to Hogwarts." Hermione said calmly. She looked to be the only calm one in the room. Everyone else looked furious at what Malfoy was saying.

"Who decides then?" Sirius said through clenched.

"A magical pen writes the name of all the kids who show they have magical powers on a piece of paper in a room at Hogwarts." Minerva explained.

**Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "'Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"'**

**He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron.**

**"What's the matter with you two?"**

**Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.**

"Dora cover Teddy's ears again." Harry advised.

**"Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood.****"**

"You know you're lucky we didn't attack you for that." Harry growled.

"Sorry." Draco blushed.

**"****And people think he's Slytherin's heir!"**

**Harry and Ron waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him ****-**** but then "I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them."**

"I knew he wasn't the one doing it." Sirius said.

"No one said you were wrong." James replied.

**Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all..."**

**"You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing ****-**** last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time... I hope it's Granger," he said with relish.**

Hermione sat up straight, looking shocked. She had no idea that had been said.

Everyone was giving Draco dark looks.

"That bloody git did not just say that!" Sirius screamed.

"Sorry I did." Draco whispered looking ashamed and sinking back into his seat. Hermione took her wand out and changed him into a white ferret before rounding on Ron and Harry.

"You bloody prats." Hermione growled. "How could they not tell me that?" she demanded.

"You didn't know?" James asked.

Hermione shook her head weakly.

"We didn't want to upset you." Harry said.

Hermione gave a harsh laugh. "Upset me? Yeah right. I would have just made you two show me to the Slytherin common room so I could hex that prat for saying that."

"Angry tiger aren't you?" the twins muttered.

"Isn't it supposed to be 'angry kitty'?" Petunia asked.

"Yes but Hermione's dangerous when she's angry." George explained.

"Therefore its 'tiger'." Fred added. Hermione glared at them.

"Love your choice of animal 'Mione." Ron laughed weakly, effectively changing the subject, looking at the white ferret who had climbed onto Astoria's shoulder.

"Very fitting for ferret boy." Harry grinned, the ferret squeaked indignantly then glared at them as they all laughed, except those who didn't know what Harry meant. "In my fourth year Draco tried to curse me when I had my back turned so someone turned him into the same ferret he is now and started bouncing him up and down..." he explained.

"And from then on we've been able to use that as blackmail. It was 'Malfoy the Amazing Bouncing Ferret'." Ron cut in, "But now with the name change it's going to have to be 'Black the Amazing Bouncing Ferret'." he laughed. The ferret-Draco squeaked again and glared as everyone, except Astoria, Cissy and Minerva, snickered or laughed.

"I think you look cute as a ferret." Astoria told him, "But I prefer you as a human. Hermione can you change him back?"

"Nope he deserves to stay like that until the end of this memory." she grinned.

/Oi! Harry get her to change me back/

Harry jerked a little as did Ginny. "Well it seems we can understand ferrets, and no Draco I'm not getting her to change you back, as she said you deserve it." Harry smirked making the others laugh again.

**Ron was clenching Crabbe's gigantic fists. Feeling that it would be a bit of a giveaway if Ron punched Malfoy, Harry shot him a warning look and said,**

"Did you guys notice that Ron always defends Hermione before Harry?" Sirius said.

"Someone must have a crush on little 'Mione." James teased.

"I did at that time. I just never noticed it." Ron admitted, blushing.

"When did you notice?" Ginny asked.

"In the middle of fourth year." he replied.

"Hermione when did you notice?" Harry asked.

"Umm... In the middle of third year." she admitted.

"I would never have guessed that with all the arguing you two done." Harry chuckled, "It seemed you argued about everything." he teased, the two blushed.

**"D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"**

**"Oh, yeah... whoever it was was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban."**

**"Azkaban?" said Harry, puzzled.**

"That was the first time I had heard of it." Harry explained.

**"Azkaban ****-**** the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward."**

**He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?"**

**Harry tried to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern.**

**"Yeah..." said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor ****-****"**

"That was some interesting piece of information to receive." Arthur grinned.

"Draco you know you weren't supposed to mention that... but I'm glad you did." Cissy smiled. The ferret nodded.

**"Ho!" said Ron.**

**Malfoy looked at him. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even his hair was turning red. His nose was also slowly lengthening ****-**** their hour was up, Ron was turning back into himself, and from the look of horror he was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too.**

"Get out of there." all the women said nervously.

**They both jumped to their feet.**

**"Medicine for my stomach," Ron grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy hadn't noticed anything.**

/I didn't, I wasn't suspicious of anything except your speed/ Draco commented, /the two of them often had to go to get medicine for their stomach's, always overeating/ he explained, /and they couldn't move all that fast because of their size, both of them were like trolls/

Ginny told everyone what he had said and they all laughed.

**Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle's huge shoes and had to hoist up his robes as he shrank; they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet where they'd locked Crabbe and Goyle. Leaving their shoes outside the closet door, they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.**

**"Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Ron panted, closing the bathroom door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room."**

**Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal. He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione's stall.**

**"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you ****-****"**

**"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.**

"How bad was it?" Kingsley questioned, looking amused.

Hermione grimaced. "You'll find out."

**Harry and Ron looked at each other.**

**"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are."**

**But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy.**

**"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful ****-****"**

"It had to be really bad to make her happy." Molly commented.

"Oh, it is." Hermione moaned. "Do you have to show it Harry?"

"Yes." he answered, "It's too difficult to explain."

**They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.**

**"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"**

**Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.**

**Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.**

**"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"**

Everyone laughed, even Minerva gave a small smile.

"That's what you get for breaking rules." Minerva said.

Hermione pouted, but smiled a little at her. "Maybe, but I think I make a very cute kitty."

Sirius laughed. "Glad to know you can laugh at your mistakes."

"We made a few and some are laughable when we look back on them." Harry shrugged, "Especially since the end of the war."

**"Uh-oh," said Ron.**

**"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.**

**"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions..."**

**It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"**

"You had a tail?" Dudley asked.

"So did you Dud." Harry pointed out.

"Urgh, don't remind me." he groaned.

"When did you have a tail Dudley?" Amber giggled.

"It was when I first found out I was a wizard." Harry explained.

"Vernon insulted Albus Dumbledore in front of Hagrid and Hagrid gave Dudley a pig's tail." Petunia put in.

"Hagrid was trying to turn him into a pig but it didn't work." Harry chuckled. "That's the end of the memory let's take a break." the ferret leapt down onto the empty seat beside him and squeaked loudly, "Hermione change Draco back please." she pouted but did it.

The ferret changed into a red-faced Draco. "Thank you." he muttered, "It feels so weird being an animal that small."

"Well you deserved it." Hermione snapped. "Just be glad I never turned you into a bug or something worse." she added. He just nodded as everyone broke into different conversations and the women went to make dinner.

* * *

><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 - Second Year (Part 6.5)

8th, August, 1998.

After dinner everyone was seated in the living room again.

"Okay, fair warning you're not going to like this memory very much." Harry said putting the memory in the pensive.

"Why?" Kingsley asked.

"It's... complicated." he replied hesitantly. "And it will probably make you think of more questions than you had before."

"And we're not going to answer them." Hermione added.

"Also, Ginny, please don't hex me." Harry said.

"Why would I hex you?" she asked confused. Harry wet over to her and whispered in her ear. Ginny's eyes widened and she glared at Harry. "Do you have to put it in there?" she asked.

"Yes. Sorry Gin but I really do have to." he explained.

"Fine." she huffed, "I won't hex you."

"Thank you. Now let's begin. This is just after we visited Hermione in the hospital wing a few weeks later." Harry explained.

**Snape had given them so much homework, Harry thought he was likely to be in the sixth year before he finished it. Ron was just saying he wished he had asked Hermione how many rat tails you were supposed to add to a Hair Raising Potion when an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears.**

**"That's Filch," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.**

**"You don't think someone else's been attacked?" said Ron tensely.**

**They stood still, their heads inclined toward Flich's voice, which sounded quite hysterical.**

**"Even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore ****-****"**

**His footsteps receded along the out-of-sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam.**

**They poked their heads around the corner. Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked.**

"Stop going back there!" Lily scolded.

"We couldn't help it!" Ron protested.

**They saw at a glance what Filch had been shouting about. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.**

"She's back to her depressed self I see." Astoria said.

**"Now what's up with her?" said Ron.**

**"Let's go and see," said Harry, and holding their robes over their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered.**

**Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.**

**"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.**

**"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"**

"What does it matter if someone throws something at her? It would just go right through her." Sirius said.

"It's the thought that counts." Remus said. "She knows that it would hit if she was alive and that is what she is thinking."

"Makes no sense. She shouldn't be upset since she's a ghost." Ron said.

James shrugged. "Who cares? All I care about is the fact that we never met her."

"Same here. She sounds insane." Sirius said.

**Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"**

**"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me..."**

**"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry, reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"**

"Again, it's the thought that counts." Remus said. "Honestly, you can be as thick as Sirius at times."

Sirius looked at Remus indignantly as Harry huffed.

**He had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!"**

**"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry.**

**"I don't know... I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out..."**

**Harry and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."**

**"Dangerous?" said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"**

"Anything in the magical world can be dangerous, even books." Arthur said.

"Take a look at the Black family library for proof." Regulus muttered.

"Yeah some of those are awful." Sirius agreed. "There's one that if you touch it then it follows you around screeching at you for a year no-matter where you go, it follows."

"And there's the one that will kill you if you read it for more than 10 minutes a week." Regulus added. "There's also one that bites you."

"Like the 'Monster book of Monsters'?" Neville asked.

"I'm not sure I've never heard of that book." he replied.

"The one Neville said attacks you unless you stroke its spine." Luna explained. "It's quite difficult to stroke its spine when its trying to attack you."

"It's easier if you tie it up though." Draco added.

**"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated Dad's told me ****-**** there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And ****-****"**

"Yes those books were terrible." Arthur nodded.

**"All right, I've got the point," said Harry.**

**The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy.**

**"Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," he said, and he ducked around Ron and picked it up off the floor.**

"Why must you always take risks?" Lily hissed.

"Because he's Harry!" everyone exclaimed except the returnees and Harry himself.

"I don't always take risks." Harry huffed.

"Yes you do." Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna and the twins said as one. Harry just pouted.

**Harry saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name "T****. ****M. Riddle" in smudged ink.**

Remus frowned. "Do you guys recognize that name?"

"Yeah, where did we hear it from?" James frowned.

"It's on a trophy in the Trophy Room. He won an award for service to the school." Sirius explained.

"How do you know that?" Kingsley asked curiously.

Sirius raised a brow. "Do you know how many times we had to polish trophies in the Trophy Room for detention?"

"The diary dated back to fifty years before." Fred said slowly.

Remus's eyes widened. "That would be when the Chamber was opened the first time."

Everyone tensed up.

"Harry you need to get rid of that diary. It can't be anything good." Lily said.

"Don't worry I do get rid of it eventually." he said, then added too low for anyone except Ron and Hermione to hear, "They don't know half of what it is." the two nodded.

**"Hang on," said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Harry's shoulder. "I know that name... T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."**

**"How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement.**

**"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."**

"Or if you polished it as many times as I did in your seven years at Hogwarts." Sirius said.

**Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even Auntie Mabel's birthday, or dentist, half-past three.**

**"He never wrote in it," said Harry, disappointed.**

"Get rid of it." Dora pleaded. "You don't know if it's dangerous or not."

**"I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curious.**

**Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.**

**"He must've been Muggle-born," said Harry thoughtfully. "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road..."**

"He can't be. He was a Slytherin." Alice said.

"It's possible to have Muggle-borns in Slytherin, but it is very rare." Minerva said. "No, I think he is either half-blood or pure-blood. Most likely half-blood since he got the diary there."

"He's half-blood." Harry said, "He was raised a Muggle though."

**"Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."**

"Don't say that. That is extremely rude." Molly scolded.

"But if that gets Harry to get rid of the diary, go for it." Lily said.

**Harry, however, pocketed it.**

"No, Harry." Dora groaned. Teddy was squirming on her knee so she put him on the ground and he crawled over to Harry, who picked him up, and cuddled in still watching the memory curiously.

**Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and furfree, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it.**

**"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.**

**"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."**

**"I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it," said Harry. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."**

**"Could've been anything," said Ron. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor..."**

Hermione frowned. Riddle did murder her, if not directly.

"Ron that is so rude. I can't believe you would say that." Molly scolded.

"Believe us when we say that Myrtle kind of deserved it." Harry frowned, "Though the thing about Riddle killing her was partly true."

**But Harry could tell from the arrested look on Hermione's face that she was thinking what he was thinking.**

**"What?" said Ron, looking from one to the other.**

**"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" he said. "That's what Malfoy said."**

**"Yeah..." said Ron slowly.**

**"And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly.**

"They're putting the pieces together." Lily groaned. "I would rather you leave it alone. It's too dangerous. Someone could die. This isn't for three second years to investigate."

"We can't let things go." Hermione said.

"She's right we really can't." Harry smirked.

"We've tried but we get dragged into thing's anyway." Ron added.

**"So?"**

**"Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for catching the Heir of Slytherin? His diary would probably tell us everything ****-**** where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it ****-**** the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"**

"Or he is the Heir." Remus said quietly. "I've just figured something out. Look at the initials of the name. T.M.R."

"Yes?" Dora asked, wondering where her husband was going.

"Tom. M. Riddle. Harry wasn't Voldemort's real name Tom Riddle?" Remus asked thoughtfully.

Slowly Harry nodded, "Yes. His full name was Tom Marvolo Riddle." everyone paled.

"You really need to get rid of that book if it belongs to Voldemort." James said.

**"That's a brilliant theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary."**

**But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag.**

**"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.**

**She tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!"**

**Nothing happened. Undaunted, Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser.**

**"It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said.**

**She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened.**

**"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."**

**Harry couldn't explain, even to himself, why he didn't just throw Riddle's diary away. The fact was that even though he knew the diary was blank, he kept absentmindedly picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish. And while Harry was sure he had never heard the name T. M. Riddle before, it still seemed to mean something to him, almost as though Riddle was a friend he'd had when he was very small, and had half-forgotten. But this was absurd. He'd never had friends before Hogwarts, Dudley had made sure of that.**

"Git." Sirius grumbled.

"Sorry." Dudley said honestly.

"And definitely not a friend." Harry frowned, "More like worst enemy, besides Draco over there."

"Gee, thanks." Draco scoffed.

"Oh don't worry I don't hate you anymore and Tom was worse by far, you were just an annoying git." Harry said cheerfully everyone laughed as Draco pouted.

**Nevertheless, Harry was determined to find out more about Riddle, so next day at break, he headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron, who told them he'd seen enough of the trophy room to last him a lifetime.**

**Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it," said Ron). However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.**

**"He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy... probably top of every class ****-****"**

**"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice.**

"I never meant it like that and you know it." Ron grinned, "I meant he sounded like a prat."

"Which I'll even admit I was a prat. But definitely not evil like Riddle." Percy smiled.

**The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.**

**"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back in no time."**

"Too bad. School is so much better without her." Sirius said.

"Well Filch retired this morning without prompting." Minerva chuckled, "I believe his exact words were, 'This school is driving me insane, I need to leave before I end up in a mental asylum' he left taking his cat with him." she explained. Everybody cheered.

**Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin had lost his or her nerve, thought Harry. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets, with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate for another fifty years...**

"It would have been nice but... Nope it didn't." Harry deadpanned making everyone groan. Ginny was looking a little pale so Harry carefully put an arm around her while making sure Teddy didn't fall of his knee.

Teddy had a better idea and squirmed so he had his legs on Harry and his head on Ginny's shoulder. He was basically sitting in the middle of them.

"You comfy there Teddy?" Harry asked looking amused. The little boy nodded. Everybody either smiled or chuckled as Teddy took his wolf from Ginny and started playing with it.

**Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had "given himself away" at the Dueling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh, Potter, you rotter..." now with a dance routine to match.**

**Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Harry overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration. "I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him.****"**

Remus hit his head.

"We know you hate him, Moony, but you have to pull through his idiocy." Sirius said sympathetically, while patting Remus on the shoulder.

**"****Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him.****You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..."**

"Oh great, what is that git planning now? I don't think we can take much of him." James complained.

"Good thing there are only a few more memories left before we are rid of him then." Ron said.

**He tapped his nose again and strode off.**

**Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth.**

"Valentine's Day is good." James grinned.

"I don't even want to know what you guys did on that day." Hermione shook her head.

Sirius pouted. "You always think the worst of us. We meant that..."

"They had all these girls after them on that day each year we were at Hogwarts." Lily said cutting him off.

"Yes all the 'Fan Clubs'. It was annoying." Remus explained.

**Harry hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and he hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. He thought, for a moment, that he'd walked through the wrong doors.**

**The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Harry went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.**

"The Great Hall looked horrible with the pink hearts falling." Hermione said.

"It really did." Minerva agreed. "I don't know why Albus agreed to it."

**"What's going on?" Harry asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.**

**Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence.**

"That was just as funny. No straight man would wear pink." Hermione said.

Sirius laughed loudly. "Are you calling him gay?"

"He was wearing pink? What am I suppose to think?" Hermione replied.

"And here we thought you fancied him." Ron and Harry grinned.

"Nope." Hermione giggled, "I just liked his books."

**The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where he sat, Harry could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.**

**"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all ****-**** and it doesn't end here!"**

"Were you one of the forty-six people?" Sirius teased.

Hermione laughed. "No, I didn't admire him at this point anymore. I thought he was fraud, but I was too stubborn at the time to admit I was wrong."

"I think it's safe to say we can all be stubborn about being wrong at times." Bill said looking pointedly at Percy who blushed and looked ashamed. "Although when you finally do it, admit you're wrong that is, then most people will forgive you." he sighed taking pity on his younger brother.

"What did you do?" James asked.

"You will find out eventually." Harry said before Percy could answer.

**Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.**

"And Lockhart is still standing?" Remus asked shocked. "I would have killed him."

Neville laughed, "Though it was a funny sight to see."

**Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands.**

"It must have been really bad if Flitwick was doing that. He's usually up for anything." Remus said.

"All the staff hated him." Minerva explained, "Severus was all for poisoning him but Albus wouldn't allow it."

"That's a shame." Dora mumbled.

**Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.**

**"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.**

"I thought..." Sirius started.

"I was embarrassed at liking the git." Hermione replied. "I didn't like him anymore."

"And as you said before you didn't want to admit you were wrong and we were right." Harry said raising an eyebrow, Hermione nodded reluctantly.

**All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry.**

**"Oy, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry.**

"This will be good." Sirius grinned.

Ginny blushed and glared at her mate. Harry just chuckled.

**Hot all over at the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, which happened to include Ginny Weasley, Harry tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces.**

**"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.**

**"Not here," Harry hissed, trying to escape.**

**"Stay still!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.**

**"Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging.**

**With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.**

**Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor.**

**"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine.**

Sirius hit his forehead. "This is no longer good. Get out of there!"

**"What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived.**

**Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor.**

**"Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine:**

"Stupid determined little dwarfs." Sirius grumbled.

**"****His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,**

**His hair is as dark as a blackboard,**

**I wish he was mine,**

**he's really divine,**

**The hero who conquered the Dark Lord****"**

Everyone laughed at the poem.

"Cute," Lily said. "I wonder who sent it."

"Ginny?" Charlie questioned. Ginny just turned towards Harry and hid her face.

"I guess that proves..." George started.

"It was Ginny!" Fred finished.

"Oh shut up!" Ginny snapped.

"Tr-ou-ble." Teddy said pointing at the twins.

"Exactly, you will be in trouble if you don't. Thank you Teddy." Ginny smiled, he just smiled and went back to playing.

"You know this is first class teasing material." George grinned.

"Guys leave her alone." Harry sighed annoyed.

"What you going to do if we don't Potter?" Fred asked amused. Harry growled.

"Not very friendly are you?" George teased.

"Boys! Stop it." Molly snapped, "Leave your sister and Harry alone."

"Yes mum." the twins deadpanned, Bill noticed they still had a mischievous glint in their eyes and smacked them upside the head.

"You two leave them alone." he growled as the rubbed their heads. "I saw the glint in your eyes so don't bother denying it."

"Or are you two forgetting that they both have very large tempers?" Ron added watching as Ginny reined in her annoyance. Harry wasn't having as much success he had his eyes closed but a coldness was creeping over the room.

"Harry calm down." Hermione said worriedly, "We can feel your power escaping." Ginny picked Teddy up so he wasn't on Harry's knee, the little boy was shivering in fright. "Your scaring us all here."

Harry's head snapped up and his eyes were glowing brightly.

"Harry your eyes are glowing." Ron said weakly trying not to cower. Harry looked around and closed his eyes again. Slowly the temperature returned to normal.

"Sorry. I don't know where that came from." he sighed.

"It's okay. I guess that's a demonstration why no one should annoy you or make you angry." Hermione commented looking at the twins.

"Sorry." they said together looking more honest than the last time.

"Let's just continue." Harry suggested as Teddy shifted back sitting to in between him and Ginny.

**Harry would have given all the gold in Gringotts to evaporate on the spot. Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, he got up, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf, as Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth.**

**"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," he said, shooing some of the younger students away. "And you, Malfoy ****-****"**

**Harry, glancing over, saw Malfoy stoop and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry realized that he'd got Riddle's diary.**

**"Give that back," said Harry quietly.**

**"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy, who obviously hadn't noticed the year on the cover and thought he had Harry's own diary. A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified.**

Remus and Lily looked sharply at Ginny who kept her face neutral.

"Why do you look terrified?" Lily asked gently.

"No idea what you're talking about." she replied tonelessly.

"Please don't ask about it yet." Harry replied in the same tone.

**"Hand it over, Malfoy," said Percy sternly.**

**"When I've had a look," said Malfoy, waving the diary tauntingly at Harry.**

**Percy said, "As a school prefect ****-****" but Harry had lost his temper. He pulled out his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and just as Snape had disarmed Lockhart, so Malfoy found the diary shooting out of his hand into the air. Ron, grinning broadly, caught it.**

**"Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"**

"Prat." Fred muttered.

"You didn't report it though." Minerva said confused.

"Draco deserved it." Percy admitted, "So I didn't bother."

"He's right I deserved it." Draco nodded.

"You still should have reported it." Minerva huffed, Percy just smiled.

**But Harry didn't care, he was one-up on Malfoy, and that was worth five points from Gryffindor any day. Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"**

**Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand, too,**

"Glad to know that Ron will defend his family." Sirius said.

"All of them are way too overprotective at times. Especially of me." Ginny huffed, looking at her brothers, "It's quite annoying."

"You know we can't control it though." Bill told her, "No matter what age you are you'll always be our baby sister." he grinned.

Ginny groaned and leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, making sure she didn't move her own shoulder since Teddy was still leaning on it.

**but Harry pulled him away. Ron didn't need to spend the whole of Charms belching slugs.**

"Good point." Hermione giggled.

**It wasn't until they had reached Professor Flitwick's class that Harry noticed something rather odd about Riddle's diary. All his other books were drenched in scarlet ink. The diary, however, was as clean as it had been before the ink bottle had smashed all over it.**

"I don't like the sound of that." Kingsley muttered darkly.

**He tried to point this out to Ron, but Ron was having trouble with his wand again; large purple bubbles were blossoming out of the end, and he wasn't much interested in anything else.**

**Harry went to bed before anyone else in his dormitory that night. This was partly because he didn't think he could stand Fred and George singing, "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad" one more time, and partly because he wanted to examine Riddle's diary again, and knew that Ron thought he was wasting his time.**

**Harry sat on his four-poster and flicked through the blank pages, not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it. Then he pulled a new bottle out of his bedside cabinet, dipped his quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.**

**The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished.**

"Definitely not good." Sirius said.

**Excited, Harry loaded up his quill a second time and wrote, "My name is Harry Potter."**

Arthur groaned. "Don't do that. It's extremely dangerous."

**The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without trace. Then, at last, something happened.**

**Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words Harry had never written.**

**"Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?"**

"It's possessed!" Lily said weakly.

"First lesson witches and wizards are taught by their parents, don't talk to things that can talk back or think." James said darkly. "They are really dangerous." Ginny blushed but only Harry, Molly and Arthur noticed.

**These words, too, faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back.**

**"Someone tried to flush it down a toilet."**

**He waited eagerly for Riddle's reply.**

**"Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read."**

**"What do you mean?" Harry scrawled, blotting the page in his excitement.**

**"I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."**

**"That's where I am now," Harry wrote quickly. "I'm at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"**

**His heart was hammering. Riddle's reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew.**

**"Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned."**

"I think the person was framed." Remus said.

**Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back.**

**"It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?"**

**"I can show you, if you like,"****came Riddle's reply. "You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him."**

"That's the worst thing you could do." Fred said.

"So don't do it." George added.

**Harry hesitated, his quill suspended over the diary. What did Riddle mean? How could he be taken inside somebody else's memory? He glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. When he looked back at the diary, he saw fresh words forming.**

**"Let me show you."**

"This book is being pushy." Remus said. "I don't like it."

**Harry paused for a fraction of a second and then wrote two letters.**

**OK**

"No." they all groaned.

**The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, Harry saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a miniscule television screen. His hands trembling slightly, he raised the book to press his eye against the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward; the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, and he was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of color and shadow.**

**He felt his feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him came suddenly into focus.**

**He knew immediately where he was. This circular room with the sleeping portraits was Dumbledore's office ****-**** but it wasn't Dumbledore who was sitting behind the desk. A wizened, frail-looking wizard, bald except for a few wisps of white hair, was reading a letter by candlelight. Harry had never seen this man before.**

**"I'm sorry," he said shakily. "I didn't mean to butt in ****-****"**

"It's a memory, Harry." Sirius said.

"I didn't know that." Harry said defensively.

**But the wizard didn't look up. He continued to read, frowning slightly. Harry drew nearer to his desk and stammered, "Er ****-**** I'll just go, shall I?"**

**Still the wizard ignored him. He didn't seem even to have heard him. Thinking that the wizard might be deaf, Harry raised his voice.**

**"Sorry I disturbed you. I'll go now," he half-shouted.**

**The wizard folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Harry without glancing at him, and went to draw the curtains at his window.**

**The sky outside the window was ruby-red; it seemed to be sunset. The wizard went back to the desk, sat down, and twiddled his thumbs, watching the door.**

**Harry looked around the office. No Fawkes the phoenix ****-**** no whirring silver contraptions. This was Hogwarts as Riddle had known it, meaning that this unknown wizard was Headmaster, not Dumbledore, and he, Harry, was little more than a phantom, completely invisible to the people of fifty years ago.**

**There was a knock on the office door.**

**"Enter," said the old wizard in a feeble voice.**

**A boy of about sixteen entered, taking off his pointed hat. A silver prefect's badge was glinting on his chest. He was much taller than Harry, but he, too, had jet-black hair.**

**"Ah, Riddle," said the Headmaster.**

**"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" said Riddle. He looked nervous.**

**"Sit down," said Dippet. "I've just been reading the letter you sent me."**

**"Oh," said Riddle. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly.**

**"My dear boy," said Dipper kindly, "I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?"**

**"No," said Riddle at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that ****-**** to that ****-****"**

**"You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" said Dippet curiously.**

**"Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly.**

**"You are Muggle-born?"**

**"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother."**

**"And are both your parents ****-****?"**

**"My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me ****-**** Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather."**

"That's the teenage Voldemort?" Regulus questioned. Harry nodded. "He looks weird."

"He normally looked like a snake." Draco agreed, "He looks odd when he doesn't."

"Yes it is hard to believe but he was human at one point too." Harry sighed.

"'Was?'" James asked.

"He done something so evil, you will find out what later, but it made him not so human anymore." Hermione said looking sick.

**Dipper clucked his tongue sympathetically.**

**"The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "Special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances..."**

**"You mean all these attacks, sir?" said Riddle, and Harry's heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything.**

**"Precisely," said the headmaster. "My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy... the death of that poor little girl... You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the ****-**** er ****-**** source of all this unpleasantness..."**

**Riddle's eyes had widened.**

**"Sir ****-**** if the person was caught ****-**** if it all stopped ****-****"**

**"What do you mean?" said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair. "Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"**

"I bet he does." Sirius snarled.

**"No, sir," said Riddle quickly.**

**But Harry was sure it was the same sort of "no" that he himself had given Dumbledore.**

**Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed.**

**"You may go, Tom..."**

**Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Harry followed him.**

**Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped, and so did Harry, watching him. Harry could tell that Riddle was doing some serious thinking. He was biting his lip, his forehead furrowed.**

**Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Harry gliding noiselessly behind him. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase.**

**"What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?"**

**Harry gaped at the wizard. He was none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore.**

"Dumbledore looks funny when he's younger too." Fred chuckled.

"Yes he was the transfiguration teacher at that point." Minerva chuckled, "He actually taught me everything I know. I was only in my 4th year at that point." she admitted.

"Really?" Remus asked curiously, she nodded.

**"I had to see the headmaster, sir," said Riddle.**

**"Well, hurry off to bed," said Dumbledore, giving Riddle exactly the kind of penetrating stare Harry knew so well. "Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since..."**

"Do you think Albus knows the truth?" Lily asked.

"He might have had an idea, but he had no proof." Harry said. "I asked him about it in my 6th year I think."

**He sighed heavily, bade Riddle good night, and strode off. Riddle watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with Harry in hot pursuit.**

**But to Harry's disappointment, Riddle led him not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Harry had Potions with Snape. The torches hadn't been lit, and when Riddle pushed the door almost closed, Harry could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside.**

**It felt to Harry that they were there for at least an hour. All he could see was the figure of Riddle at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just when Harry had stopped feeling expectant and tense and started wishing he could return to the present, he heard something move beyond the door.**

**Someone was creeping along the passage. He heard whoever it was pass the dungeon where he and Riddle were hidden. Riddle, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Harry tiptoeing behind him, forgetting that he couldn't be heard.**

**For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Riddle stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Harry heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper.**

**"C'mon... gotta get yeh outta here... C'mon now... in the box..."**

**There was something familiar about that voice...**

**Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner. Harry stepped out behind him. He could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it.**

**"Evening, Rubeus," said Riddle sharply.**

"He wouldn't." James said faintly.

"He's going to frame Hagrid." Remus said.

"He's going to get Hagrid expelled." Sirius finished.

"Oh no." Lily replied.

**The boy slammed the door shut and stood up.**

**"What yer doin' down here, Tom?"**

**Riddle stepped closer.**

**"It's all over," he said. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."**

**"'N at d'yeh ****-****"**

"It wasn't Hagrid." James hissed. "Hagrid may love dangerous animals, but he wouldn't let something roam that castle that could hurt someone. He would leave it outside."

**"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and ****-****"**

**"It never killed no one!" said the large boy, backing against the closed door. From behind him, Harry could hear a funny rustling and clicking.**

**"Come on, Rubeus," said Riddle, moving yet closer. "The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered..."**

**"It wasn't him!" roared the boy, his voice echoing in the dark passage. "He wouldn'! He never!"**

**"Stand aside," said Riddle, drawing out his wand.**

**His spell lit the corridor with a sudden flaming light. The door behind the large boy flew open with such force it knocked him into the wall opposite. And out of it came something that made Harry let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone.**

**A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs; a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers ****-**** Riddle raised his wand again, but he was too late. The thing bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Riddle scrambled to his feet, looking after it; he raised his wand, but the huge boy leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, "NOOOOOO!"**

"A spider," Remus said. "Now we know we for sure that Hagrid wasn't the one doing it. Spiders don't petrify people."

"So, Riddle did frame him." James hissed. Harry nodded.

**The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; Harry felt himself falling and, with a crash, he landed spread-eagled on his four-poster in the Gryffindor dormitory, Riddle's diary lying open on his stomach.**

**Before he had had time to regain his breath, the dormitory door opened and Ron came in.**

**"There you are," he said.**

**Harry sat up. He was sweating and shaking.**

**"What's up?" said Ron, looking at him with concern.**

**"It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."**

"No it wasn't." Harry sighed. "Right next memory."

* * *

><p>Review Please :-)<p> 


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47 - Second Year (Part 7)

8th, August, 1998.

"Right this is once I've told Ron and Hermione everything." Harry explained.

**"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it all?"**

"That would be a really cheerful visit." Sirius muttered.

**"That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. "'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"**

"Sounds more like you're describing Hagrid then a monster." Cissy said.

"Or me around the full moon. I would about go insane around that time, then I would get all hairy when the full moon came up." Remus said.

"I loved the time before the full moon. You were always crazy and came up with insane plans and did a lot of crazy stuff." Sirius grinned. "It was great."

"And really funny." James added.

"Well thank god I don't have to go through it ever again." Remus muttered hugging Dora and smiling at Harry and Ginny who smiled back.

**In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.**

**"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing."**

"Were skipping a little." Harry announced. "This is after a really good Quidditch practice and I had felt cheerful." he explained

**But his cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, he met Neville Longbottom,****who was looking frantic.**

"What happened?" Lily asked nervously.

**"Harry ****-**** I don't know who did it ****-**** I just found ****-****"**

**Watching Harry fearfully, Neville pushed open the door.**

**The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.**

**Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls. As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly.**

**"What happened, Harry?"**

**"No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out.**

**"Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?"**

**Harry started to pick up all his things and throw them into his trunk. It was only as he threw the last of the Lockhart books back into it that he realized what wasn't there.**

**"Riddle's diary's gone," he said in an undertone to Ron.**

"At least it's gone." Dora frowned.

Harry shook his head, "It comes back in a fashion. And we're skipping again. This is the next day, your probably not going to like anymore memories at all for this year." he warned.

**They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze.**

"Perfect Quidditch conditions," James said happily, trying to push the bad news away.

**"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."**

**Harry had been staring down the packed Gryffindor table, wondering if the new owner of Riddle's diary was right in front of his eyes. Hermione had been urging him to report the robbery, but Harry didn't like the idea. He'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Hagrid had been expelled fifty years ago? He didn't want to be the one who brought it all up again.**

**As he left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione to go and collect his Quidditch things, another very serious worry was added to Harry's growing list. He had just set foot on the marble staircase when he heard it yet again.**

**"Kill this time... let me rip... tear..."**

"Oh, not again. We don't need this now." Lily hissed.

"It's definitely the diary then." Remus mused.

Most of them looked confused.

"Huh?" Regulus asked.

"The diary gets thrown away and the attacks stop along with the voice. The diary gets stolen back and the voice comes back, which means there is going to be another attack." Remus explained.

"Oh no." Lily groaned.

**He shouted aloud and Ron and Hermione both jumped away from him in alarm.**

**"The voice!" said Harry,****looking over his shoulder. "I just heard it again ****-**** didn't you?"**

**Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead.**

**"Harry ****-**** I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"**

**And she sprinted away, up the stairs.**

"You went by yourself? Are you stupid?" Lily shouted.

"Lily, what are you talking about?" James asked after calming his wife.

"Every time Harry hears that voice, there is an attack!" Lily screamed. She was so scared and worried.

James paled and looked at Hermione, who was also very pale. "You get attacked?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Good thing I figured out what the monster was before I was attacked or I would have been killed."

"Lucky, very lucky." Harry and Ron muttered. Both boys had a haunted look in their eyes.

**"What does she understand?" said Harry distractedly; still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from.**

**"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head.**

A few people laughed, but no one really could produce a real laugh. They were too upset over the fact that Hermione was going to get attacked.

**"But why's she got to go to the library?"**

**"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."**

**Harry stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the Great Hall behind him, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch.**

**"You'd better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven ****-**** the match ****-****"**

**Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected his Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game.**

**The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics.**

**Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.**

**Harry's heart dropped like a stone.**

**"This match has been cancelled,"**

"Not going to scream?" Lily asked her husband.

James shook his head and looked at Hermione. "There was an attack. Protecting the students is more important."

**Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.**

**"But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play ****-**** the cup ****- ****Gryffindor ****-****"**

**Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone:**

**"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"**

**Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her.**

**"Potter, I think you'd better come with me..."**

"You better not think it was him." Sirius hissed.

"Of course not, Sirius. I wanted to tell him and Ron about Hermione. She is his best friend after all. I think anyone who thought Harry was the Heir, won't think that anymore." Minerva replied.

Harry nodded, "Everyone knew I would never attack Hermione. Though why they didn't realise that she's one of my best friend's and that I didn't hate muggleborns, I have no idea." he frowned.

**Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd; he came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object.**

**"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley..."**

**Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time.**

**"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack... another double attack."**

**Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered... Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair.**

**Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room.**

**And on the bed next to her was ****-**

**"Hermione!" Ron groaned.**

**Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.**

Hermione shuddered at the image of what she had looked like. "Sorry boy's that must have been a shock."

"'A shock'? 'A shock' she says, you almost gave us a heart attack." Ron frowned looking upset.

Harry nodded, "You know we could have lost you that year. We were terrified. It was more than just a shock Hermione."

**"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them..."**

**She was holding up a small, circular mirror.**

"A mirror? What was that for?" Astoria asked.

Remus being an expert on dark creatures suddenly perked up. "I just remembered. A basilisk kills you if you look it in the eyes. If you look at its eyes through a reflection, it petrified you."

"There was water on the ground the night Mrs. Norris was petrified." Fred said.

"Colin saw it through his camera." George added.

"Justin saw it through Nick and Nick got a full blast of it, but he's already dead and can't die again." James reasoned.

"Hermione must have figured this out and told the first person met, being the Ravenclaw girl. They took safety precautions and got a mirror out to check around the corners." Dora said.

"Are we right?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded smiling.

**Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione.**

**"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case."**

**"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."**

**The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."**

**She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately.**

**"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff," said the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin ****-**** why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.**

"As much as everyone would like that, it's not a Slytherin." Draco said.

**Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned.**

**"Percy's in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl ****-**** Penelope Clearwater ****-**** she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect."**

"That's not it." the twins sang.

"Don't say just yet guys." Harry warned, they nodded still grinning.

**But Harry was only half-listening. He didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone.**

"Glad to know you care." Hermione whispered.

"A lot of people care 'Mione." Ron said. "I was the same way as Harry."

"We're skipping a little." Harry said tonelessly. "Basically we went and asked Hagrid about the monster and he said 'Follow the spiders'..."

"I bet Ron loved that." Charlie laughed. Ron huffed.

"No he didn't." Harry confirmed, "I didn't like it too much myself to be honest." he admitted, "But while we were at Hagrid's guess who showed up and suspended Dumbledore."

"Lucius." Cissy groaned. "He blackmailed the other school governors about getting rid of Dumbledore." she explained. "I didn't know until he had done it or I would have talked him out of it." she added.

"Right so Dumbledore got suspended and Hagrid was arrested..." Harry was cut off again.

"And taken to Azkaban." Sirius growled, "I saw him being brought in from my cell." Remus patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I hate how Fudge put innocent's in there. He did it too me and then Hagrid. I think the only way you stay sane in that place is if you know your innocent." he added.

"Which is why I always give people a chance and I'm always fair." Kingsley smiled, "By the way Sirius here." he pulled out a little golden pendant. "Put it on." Sirius did and it glowed before returning to normal and staying there. "That's an official ministry pardon. It got pushed through this morning the magic clears your criminal file proving your innocence. It's a new invention." he explained.

"Thank's Kingsley." Sirius grinned.

"No problem. I know your innocent and Harry proved that once I was appointed Minister with the help of the pensive, the Prophet has the article but never published it for some reason though so before your return is announced I'll make sure it is." Kingsley explained. "As you were saying Harry?" he added politely.

"Oh yes... Hagrid told us to follow the spiders as he was being arrested, Dumbledore got suspended and had to leave but before he left he said 'I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me...' and that 'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it' which I only understood later on. So this memory is of the night we followed the spiders. Hermione keep a hold on Ron will you?" Harry chuckled. Hermione nodded, smirking, as Ron glared at Harry.

**Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Ginny sat watching them, very subdued in Hermione's usual chair.**

"I was scared." Ginny said at the questioning looks sent her way.

**Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed.**

"We didn't know you were trying to get away." Fred started.

"Or we would have left you earlier." George smirked.

**Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole.**

**It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the moonlit grounds.**

**"'Course," said Ron abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but..."**

**His voice trailed away hopefully.**

"That's not going to work." James laughed.

**They reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Harry pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, they hastily fed him treacle fudge from a tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his teeth together.**

"Poor Fang." Sirius exclaimed.

"We had to keep him quiet and he missed Hagrid." Ron explained.

**Harry left the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table. There would be no need for it in the pitch-dark forest.**

**"C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk," said Harry, patting his leg, and Fang bounded happily out of the house behind them, dashed to the edge of the forest, and lifted his leg against a large sycamore tree.**

**Harry took out his wand, murmured, "Lumos!" and a tiny light appeared at the end of it, just enough to let them watch the path for signs of spiders.**

**"Good thinking," said Ron. "I'd light mine, too, but you know ****-**** it'd probably blow up or something..."**

James laughed. "You finally learned not to use it."

"I wonder how your going to get through the next five years with a broken wand." Regulus said.

"I get a new one during the summer." Ron said.

**Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder, pointing at the grass. Two solitary spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees.**

**"Okay," Ron sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. Let's go."**

**So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Harry's wand, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Harry's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path.**

**Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. He had never been this deep into the forest before. He could vividly remember Hagrid advising him not to leave the forest path last time he'd been in here. But Hagrid was miles away now, probably sitting in a cell in Azkaban, and he had also said to follow the spiders.**

**Something wet touched Harry's hand and he jumped backward, crushing Ron's foot, but it was only Fang's nose.**

**"What d'you reckon?" Harry said to Ron, whose eyes he could just make out, reflecting the light from his wand.**

**"We've come this far," said Ron.**

"Well that's brave for someone terrified of spiders." Fleur commented.

"I meant 'We've come this far, can we go back now' not let's keep going." Ron blushed. Everyone laughed.

**So they followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. Harry could feel Fang's hot breath on his hand. More than once, they had to stop, so that Harry could crouch down and find the spiders in the wandlight.**

**They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.**

Hermione sighed. "I really wished you told me about where that path leads Harry."

"Why?" James asked.

"I lead Harry and our defense teacher on the path before." Hermione explained.

"Why didn't Harry just tell you if he was with you?" Sirius asked.

"Our teacher took our wands and wanted information so I had to make a lie up, which led us to the Forbidden Forest. Harry couldn't warn me without our teacher figuring out that I was lying." Hermione shrugged. "That is a dangerous part of the forest."

All the women paled. "Oh wonderful, absolutely wonderful." Molly mumbled. "What's there?"

"Acromantulas." Remus said, groaning.

"And they're not friendly." James added, also groaning.

**Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making both Harry and Ron jump out of their skins.**

**"What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard.**

**"There's something moving over there," Harry breathed. "Listen... sounds like something big..."**

**They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh ****-****"**

**"Shut up," said Harry frantically. "It'll hear you."**

**"Hear me?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Fang!"**

**The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.**

**"What d'you think it's doing?" said Harry.**

**"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron.**

**They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.**

**"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered.**

**"Dunno ****-****"**

**Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder.**

"Wonder what it is." Remus said. He didn't know any creatures that gave off a blazing light.

**"Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief "Harry, it's our car!"**

Sirius laughed. "No way. It came back?"

"It's very helpful to them, so it's a good thing they flew it to school and lost it." Hermione said.

"I suppose it was a good thing." Molly sighed, "I still don't approve but if it helps you then it can't have been that bad."

**"What?"**

**"Come on!"**

**Harry blundered after Ron toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing.**

**Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.**

Lily smiled, "Seems kind of cute in a weird way."

"It recognised you?" Arthur asked excitedly.

"Yes Dad, it did." Ron laughed.

**"It's been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild..."**

**The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes.**

**"And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ron, leaning against the car and patting it. "I wondered where it had gone!"**

**Harry squinted around on the floodlit ground for signs of more spiders, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights.**

**"We've lost the trail," he said. "C'mon, let's go and find them."**

**Ron didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror.**

"This really doesn't help your fear of spiders." Hermione said to Ron who was looking pale.

"Little spiders behind Harry?" Sirius grinned.

**Harry didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground, so that he was hanging facedown. Struggling, terrified, he heard more clicking, and saw Ron's legs leave the ground, too, heard Fang whimpering and howling ****-**** next moment, he was being swept away into the dark trees.**

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Lily looked very pale and worried.

The other women looked just as bad as Lily.

**Head hanging, Harry saw that what had hold of him was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching him tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. Behind him, he could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Ron. They were moving into the very heart of the forest.**

"Not little spiders then." Sirius said with round eyes.

**Harry could hear Fang fighting to free himself from a third monster, whining loudly, but Harry couldn't have yelled even if he had wanted to; he seemed to have left his voice back with the car in the clearing.**

**He never knew how long he was in the creature's clutches; he only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for him to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. Craning his neck sideways, he realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene he had ever laid eyes on.**

**Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.**

"Oh no," Lily buried her head in her husband's shoulder. James wrapped his arms around Lily tightly.

"I can see why Ron fears spiders now." Sirius said weakly. "I would be scared of them too if I was surrounded by a bunch of giant spiders that wanted to eat me."

"They don't want to eat us, yet." Harry said making them all relax until he said 'yet'.

**Harry fell to the ground on all fours as the spider released him. Ron and Fang thudded down next to him. Fang wasn't howling anymore, but cowering silently on the spot. Ron looked exactly like Harry felt. His mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes were popping.**

**Harry suddenly realized that the spider that had dropped him was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke.**

**"Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!"**

**And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly.**

"Oh my Merlin," Lily said.

"I'm glad I never went to see Aragog." Hermione said.

**There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind.**

**"What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly.**

**"Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry.**

**"Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.**

"This must be what was in Hagrid's chest." Remus said.

"Why the hell would Hagrid want a spider this big?" James asked.

**"Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ron.**

**"Kill them," clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping..."**

**"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted. His heart seemed to have left his chest to pound in his throat.**

**Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow.**

**Aragog paused.**

**"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly.**

**"Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come."**

**"In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has he sent you?"**

"Because Fudge is an idiot." Sirius suggested.

**Harry thought of getting to his feet but decided against it; he didn't think his legs would support him. So he spoke from the ground, as calmly as he could.**

**"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a ****-**** a ****-**** something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban."**

**Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make Harry feel sick with fear.**

**"But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."**

**"And you... you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry, who could feel cold sweat on his forehead.**

**"I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man.****When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness..."**

**Harry summoned what remained of his courage.**

**"So you never ****-**** never attacked anyone?"**

**"Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom.****"**

"A bathroom!" Lily said shocked.

"You don't think..." Molly said.

"Moaning Myrtle?" Lily asked.

"Yeah." Harry nodded, "I figured that out too."

**"****I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet..."**

**"But then... Do you know what did kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again ****-****"**

**His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around him.**

"Don't make them angry. They are extremely dangerous." Remus said.

**"The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school."**

**"What is it?" said Harry urgently.**

**More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in.**

**"We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times."**

**Harry didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Harry and Ron.**

**"We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him.**

**"Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not..."**

**"But ****-**** but ****-****"**

**"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid."**

"Oh crap, get out of there, pup's!" Sirius shouted.

"Pup's?" Harry asked amused.

"Inner animal." Sirius explained blushing. "As the dog in me see's kid's as pup's it kind of change's my words sometimes, sorry."

"It's fine. I actually don't mind." Harry said, "My inner wolf keeps trying to tell me to call Teddy a cub." he explained.

Remus nodded, "I had that too when you were born. I still do sometimes just not as often." he explained.

"Feel free to use what you want." Harry smiled, "I can adjust to names easily. Believe me I had tons of names over the years, mainly horrible ones from Vernon but there's been others too."

"Like Shadow?" Ron asked, "You answered to that this morning before we came down." Harry nodded.

**Harry spun around. Feet away, towering above him, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads.**

**Even as he reached for his wand, Harry knew it was no good, there were too many of them, but as he tried to stand, ready to die fighting, a loud, long note sounded, and a blaze of light flamed through the hollow.**

**Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron and the doors flew open.**

"YES!" James, Sirius, and Remus yelled.

"Clever car." Arthur said relieved.

**"Get Fang!" Harry yelled, diving into the front seat; Ron seized the boarhound around the middle and threw him, yelping, into the back of the car ****-**** the doors slammed shut ****-**** Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.**

**Harry looked sideways at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping anymore.**

**"Are you okay?"**

**Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak.**

**They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and Harry saw the side mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky.**

**The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out, and when Harry opened the door, he shot off through the trees to Hagrid's house, tail between his legs. Harry got out too, and after a minute or so, Ron seemed to regain the feeling in his limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. Harry gave the car a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view.**

**Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. When Harry got outside again, he found Ron being violent****ly**** sick in the pumpkin patch.**

**"Follow the spiders," said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."**

"That was horrible advice." Lily agreed.

"He probably thought that Aragog wouldn't hurt his friends." Remus said.

"That doesn't change the fact that it was horrible advice." Lily growled. "They could have been killed."

"But we weren't." Harry pointed out. "There's been situations that have been more deadly than that for us, mainly me, but we've all had our fair share of deadly situations." Ron, Hermione and the Silver Trio nodded.

"When?" Regulus asked.

"Every year for me." Harry said making them all groan.

"I'm not answering that." Ginny said. "All you need to know is soon."

"Most years for us." Ron and Hermione said.

"Every year after my 5th." Neville put in.

"And mines was every year after my 4th." Luna smiled.

All the one's who hadn't known groaned.

**"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," said Harry.**

**"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!" He was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"**

**"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, throwing the cloak over Ron and prodding him in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent."**

**Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent.**

"I agree." Sirius said. "About not hatching a spider not being innocent." he added at the confused looks.

**As the castle loomed nearer Harry twitched the cloak to make sure their feet were hidden, then pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. They took off the cloak and climbed the winding stair to their dormitory.**

**Ron fell onto his bed without bothering to get undressed. Harry, however, didn't feel very sleepy. He sat on the edge of his fourposter, thinking hard about everything Aragog had said.**

**The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, he thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort ****-**** even other monsters didn't want to name it. But he and Ron were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it petrified its victims. Even Hagrid had never known what was in the Chamber of Secrets.**

**Harry swung his legs up onto his bed and leaned back against his pillows, watching the moon glinting at him through the tower window.**

**He couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Riddle had caught the wrong person, the Heir of Slytherin had got off, and no one could tell whether it was the same person, or a different one, who had opened the Chamber this time. There was nobody else to ask. Harry lay down, still thinking about what Aragog had said.**

**He was becoming drowsy when what seemed like their very last hope occurred to him, and he suddenly sat bolt upright.**

**"Ron," he hissed through the dark, "Ron ****-****"**

**Ron woke with a yelp like Fang's, stared wildly around, and saw Harry.**

**"Ron ****-**** that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom," said Harry, ignoring Neville's snuffling snores from the corner. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?"**

**Ron rubbed his eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then he understood, too.**

**"You don't think ****-**** not Moaning Myrtle?"**

"Oh great, you've figured it out." Lily sighed, "Let me guess it's going to get even mor dangerous?"

"Of course but there's only a few more memories so were going to stay up a little later to get this year finished tonight it's only 7.30 we should be done by 10.00pm." Harry said.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 - Second Year (Part 7.5)

8th, August, 1998.

"This is the next day." Harry said changing the memory, just before he sat down again he noticed Teddy was still awake. "Teddy come here please." he held his arms out and Teddy gladly went to him, Harry put him in his playpen where he sat and played. Harry set up some charms so Teddy couldn't see or hear the memories but Harry could see him and would know if something was wrong.

"What was all that about?" Dora asked curiously.

"It's going to get too scary for him. I don't think you want to deal with nightmares for a few weeks." Harry explained.

"It's impossible to get him to calm down and believe they're not real." Andy put in. "Good thinking Harry. He only ever calms down for you."

"I know. He might calm down for Remus or Dora though." he shrugged, "Though he need's a little more time to adjust to having you back."

"We know it will take some time." Dora smiled sadly.

"But we'll get there eventually." Remus also smiled sadly.

"Right on with the memory. This is the next morning." Harry smiled.

**"All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away," said Ron bitterly at breakfast next day, "and we could've asked her, and now..."**

**It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls' bathroom, the girls' bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible.**

"You know, the entrance to the chamber might be in that bathroom." Remus said.

Lily looked thoughtful. "Where would it be in there though?"

"I don't know. I've never been in that bathroom. I would have to take a look at it to get an idea of where it might be." Remus replied.

**But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.**

**"Exams?" howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"**

**There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus.**

**"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."**

"With all the chaos going on, they deserve a break." Remus said. "You should cancel the exams for that year."

"The purpose of keeping the school open is so the students can continue to learn. If they weren't going to learn, then we might have as well closed the school." Minerva replied. "We were trying to keep things as normal as possible."

"I would prefer that they closed the school." Lily said. "They are all in danger."

**Studying hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this state.**

"There really shouldn't be. No one can concentrate with all the attacks going on." Remus muttered.

"You are supposed to be the good Marauder!" Minerva said.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Please, even I couldn't study with all this chaos going on."

"But James and Sirius were causing chaos all the time when we went to Hogwarts. How did you study then?" Lily asked.

Remus grinned. "I gave them prank ideas or some idea to keep them busy while I studied. It worked out really well. It gave me hours to study undisturbed, sometimes even more because they got detentions for doing the things I said."

"You set us up!" Sirius accused.

"Not all the time, but a few of the times, yes, I did set you up to get detention so I could study." Remus replied.

Sirius and James gaped at him as the others chuckled.

**There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.**

**"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."**

**Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.**

"That's cause your Moony isn't there to help you study." James said.

"Yep, when we needed to study, we always went to Moony to find out what we should study." Sirius said.

Dora rolled her eyes. "Remus should have told you to figure it out for yourself so he could study and not be bothered by you two idiots."

"That wouldn't have worked. They would just keep bothering me until I helped them." Remus replied.

The two dark-haired Marauders nodded.

**Ron looked as though he'd just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.**

**"Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly.**

"It would be hilarious." Sirius grinned.

**Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.**

**"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.**

**"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.**

**"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.**

**"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.**

**When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."**

**There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days.**

"Yeah cause that means his girlfriend is coming back!" Sirius said, ducking Lily's swat.

**"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" he said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."**

"Prat." Hermione mumbled. Ron chuckled and kissed her forehead.

**Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.**

**"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.**

**Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who.**

**"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.**

**Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information.**

**"I've got to tell you something," Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry.**

**"What is it?" said Harry.**

**Ginny looked as though she couldn't find the right words.**

**"What?" said Ron.**

**Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny and Ron could hear him.**

**"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?"**

**Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan.**

"That prat just had to come by at the wrong time." Ginny mumbled. Ron and Harry nodded

Molly glared at them.

"Mum, they are right. It was a really bad time for me to appear. If she was able to warn them, then Ron and Harry wouldn't have had to go down into the Chamber." Percy defended his siblings and Harry.

Molly sighed but nodded.

**"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."**

**Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.**

**"Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"**

**Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.**

**"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing.**

**"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say..."**

**"Oh ****-**** that ****-**** that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once.**

**"How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.**

**"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was ****-**** well, never mind ****-**** the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather ****-****"**

"Will you just tell us what it is?" Dora asked.

"Nope. I have a feeling this lot find out eventually anyway." Percy nodded towards the Golden Trio and Ginny.

**Harry had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.**

**"What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh."**

**Percy didn't smile back.**

**"Pass me those rolls, Harry, I'm starving."**

**Harry knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Myrtle if it turned up ****-**** and to his delight it did, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart.**

"Your going to trick that idiot." James grinned.

**Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.**

**"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be 'It was Hagrid.'****"**

"Shut up." Remus growled. Hagrid was a good friend of his.

**"****Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."**

**"I agree, sir," said Harry, making Ron drop his books in surprise.**

"What?" Remus asked confused.

Everyone else looked confused too.

**"Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night..."**

**"That's right," said Ron, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go ****-****"**

**"You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare my next class ****-****"**

Minerva frowned. "Idiot. I set up the safety measures to keep the students safe."

"Didn't work to well on three people." Harry said jokingly.

"Really Minerva how do you lose three students?" Kingsley mock-scolded.

"It's not exactly my fault." she retorted, "Harry can get past anything he puts his mind to."

Harry blushed, "It's really not her fault. At least once a year the three of us disappeared. We've always been able to get past any security on the castle."

"Especially Harry." Ron put in, "He's always able to get away without getting caught."

"I got caught once in all my years at school." Harry admitted, "And that was because of Snape."

"Was that the day he called me to his office?" Remus asked, Harry nodded. "I thought that." they all turned back to the memory.

**And he hurried off.**

**"Prepare his class," Ron sneered after him. "Gone to curl his hair, more like."**

**They let the rest of the Gryffindors draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme.**

**"Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?"**

"Oh crap, it's Minnie!" James groaned.

"And how do you know it's me?" Minerva raised a brow.

James and Sirius laughed. "Who else could it be? You were always there when we were doing something wrong."

"Most of the time she is. She never was there to stop your pranks." Remus corrected.

"Good point." James smirked.

**It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.**

**"We were ****-**** we were ****-****" Ron stammered. "We were going to ****-**** to go and see ****-****"**

**"Hermione," said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him.**

**"We haven't seen her for ages, Professor," Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron's foot, "and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry ****-****"**

"That's actually a pretty good lie." Sirius said.

"And it should work. Minnie is a big softy for things like that." James added.

Minerva frowned. "Hermione is a favorite student of mine, but I have another reason for allowing them to go see her."

"What would that be?" Sirius asked.

Her frown deepened. "The first time this happened, my best friend was petrified, I understood exactly how they felt."

Harry frowned. "I'm sorry, Minerva. This must be really hard for you to go through this and have to live through it again."

Minerva smiled a little.

**Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice.**

**"Of course," she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye.****"Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been... I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."**

"Binns won't care. He won't even notice." Remus said. "Do you know how many times James and Sirius snuck out of his class or skipped? He never noticed."

Lily hit James and Sirius, while Minerva glared at them.

"Ow." Sirius rubbed his head. "Why doesn't Remus get hit?"

"He never..." Lily started.

"Yes, he has. He snuck out of the class probably more times than us." James muttered.

"Remus!" Lily screamed.

"It's a boring class." Remus replied.

"I did it too." Dora grinned, "Either that or I'd just sleep on my desk. I think Charlie did that a few times as well." she added musingly. The mentioned man nodded.

"You two were at school together?" Harry asked, both nodded.

"I was a year or two above Bill." she told him.

"We used to play Quidditch together." Charlie added, "Dora played Beater. Bloody dangerous with a bat."

"I told you it was an accident." Dora blushed, her hair going light pink.

"What did you do?" Remus asked his wife.

"I may have knocked Charlie off his broom with a Bludger during a game." she blushed, "He broke his arm when he landed and I'd cracked his skull and broken his leg."

"Yes and then I didn't talk to you for a month." Charlie frowned.

"I told you it was sabotage! The bat was perfectly fine then it broke."

"Sure." he chuckled, "I know Dora. I found out just before I started talking to you again."

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"Bill helped."

"I was watching for sabotage from under the stands and I saw a Slytherin in my year cast a spell on your bat but it took me ages to convince Charlie it was the truth." Bill explained, she nodded smiling.

"Add to the fact Hufflepuff's wouldn't do something like that." Charlie smirked, "Especially to a younger student."

"Of course not, it wouldn't be fair." she grinned.

**Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they'd avoided detention. As they turned the corner, they distinctly heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose.**

**"That," said Ron fervently, "was the best story you've ever come up with."**

**They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall's permission to visit Hermione.**

**Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly.**

**"There's just no point talking to a Petrified person," she said, and they had to admit she had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Hermione. It was plain that Hermione didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do.**

"That's definitely true." Hermione said. "It felt like I passed out in hallway and woke up in the Hospital Wing a few hours later, even though it was much longer than that."

"Must have felt strange." Regulus remarked.

"Very." Hermione said.

**"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know..."**

**But Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face. He was more interested in her right hand. It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was scrunched inside her fist.**

**Making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, he pointed this out to Ron.**

**"Go on and get it out," Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey's view.**

"What's it matter? She might just think you are holding her hand." Sirius said. "That might make Ron jealous though if he didn't know about the paper."

"Yes, the paper is more important than me." Hermione pouted.

"It definitely is." Sirius grinned.

Hermione mock sulked in her seat.

"Hermione that paper saved our lives." Harry said glancing at Ron who nodded. "If it wasn't for that paper... everyone in this room would probably be dead."

"That bad?" Lily asked. Harry just nodded.

**It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it.**

"I had to make sure that I didn't lose it when I got attacked." Hermione said defensively.

"Fair enough but it was still tricky." Harry shrugged.

**While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free.**

**It was a page torn from a very old library book.**

"You tore a page from a library book?" Minerva asked shocked.

"I knew it was likely I was going to be attacked. I had to get the information to Harry somehow." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"And it was just in time that we found out too." Ron commented.

**Harry smoothed it out eagerly and Ron leaned close to read it, too.**

**"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."**

**And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognized as Hermione's. Pipes.**

"Pipes, it's moving around the school through the pipes." Remus said, then he smiled at Hermione. "You really are brilliant."

Hermione blushed. "Thanks."

**It was as though somebody had just flicked a light on in his brain.**

**"Ron," he breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk ****-**** a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue..."**

**Harry looked up at the beds around him.**

**"The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died ****-**** because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified. Justin... Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again... and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror ****-**** and ****-****"**

**Ron's jaw had dropped.**

So had many people's in the room.

"What?" Harry asked looking amused.

"How did it take you less than 2 minutes to figure all that out?" James asked.

"It's his Ravenclaw side. He doesn't show it often." Ron explained, "But when he does its bloody brilliant."

**"And Mrs. Norris?" he whispered eagerly.**

**Harry thought hard, picturing the scene on the night of Halloween.**

**"The water..." he said slowly. "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection..."**

**He scanned the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense.**

**"... The crowing of the rooster... is fatal to it"! he read aloud. "Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! Spiders flee before it! It all fits!"**

**"But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron. "A giant snake... Someone would've seen..."**

**Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page.**

**"Pipes," he said. "Pipes... Ron, it's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls..."**

**Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's arm.**

**"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" he said hoarsely. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in ****-****"**

**"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," said Harry.**

"Seems Ron can figure a few things out as well." Arthur said proudly.

"I'd say we all have our moments but for Ron and I there's fewer than what Hermione has." Harry smiled.

Ron nodded. "But Harry's the only one who doesn't panic in a dangerous situation. He keeps calm while me and 'Mione have mini panic attacks."

"That's true until 5th year." Hermione nodded. "But most of the time we do panic."

"Not true guys." Harry frowned, "I do panic a little I just don't show it." he smirked.

**They sat there, excitement coursing through them, hardly able to believe it.**

**"This means," said Harry, "I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too.****"**

"Or if a student is being possessed, then they can speak Parseltounge." Remus said.

**"****That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."**

**"What're we going to do?" said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to McGonagall?"**

**"Let's go to the staff room," said Harry, jumping up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."**

**They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too excited to sit down.**

**But the bell to signal break never came.**

**Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.**

**"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."**

**Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron. "Not another attack? Not now?"**

**"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"**

**"No," said Harry, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to his left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."**

**They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived.**

**"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."**

"WHAT?" All those who didn't know screamed. Ginny was very pale and was trembling slightly.

"It was you wasn't it?" Regulus asked noticing this.

Ginny sighed and nodded.

"The diary was possessing her." Harry said hugging her closer to him.

**Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"**

**"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "**

**Professor Flitwick burst into tears.**

**"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"**

**"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.**

Ginny curled into Harry's chest.

**Harry felt Ron slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him.**

**"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..."**

**The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.**

**"So sorry ****-**** dozed off ****-**** what have I missed?"**

"Bloody git." Sirius snarled.

"Your lucky that Teddy can't hear us." Harry said. "Otherwise I think Andy might have hexed you by now."

Andy nodded. "Yes I would have. Teddy, as you have seen, has been picking up words quite easily."

"So you don't want people swearing in front of him." Amber nodded, "I'm glad Cecelia hasn't started talking yet. Otherwise I'd be the same, but she's too little to understand at the moment so no harm will come from it."

**He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.**

**"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."**

**Lockhart blanched.**

**"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"**

"I know the professors don't believe that." Remus snorted.

Minerva didn't comment.

**"I ****-**** well, I ****-****"**** S****p****l****uttered Lockhart.**

**"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.**

**"D-did I? I don't recall ****-****"**

**"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"**

**Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.**

**"I ****-**** I really never ****-**** you may have misunderstood ****-****"**

**"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."**

"I really think they are trying to get rid of him." Remus said. He would have grinned if the situation wasn't so bad.

"What makes you say 'trying'?" Minerva asked. "Do you really doubt that we wouldn't be getting rid of him?"

"So you were getting rid of him?" James said, "Good because he's an idiot."

**Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.**

**"V-very well," he said. "I'll ****-**** I'll be in my office, getting ****-**** getting ready."**

**And he left the room.**

**"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."**

**The teachers rose and left, one by one.**

**It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life. He, Ron, Fred, and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory.**

**No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.**

"It was torture." Fred sighed.

"We kept expecting Ginny to walk into the common room." George added. "We couldn't believe what we were told."

Ginny smiled sadly at them.

**"She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was ****-****" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."**

**Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything.**

**"Harry" said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not ****-**** you know ****-****"**

**Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive.**

"Oh I'm still alive at that point, I can't remember exactly but I think at that time I was unconscious." Ginny deadpanned.

**"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."**

"Why go to that git?" Remus asked.

"We didn't know what else to do." Ron explained, "If there was any chance of saving Ginny we would take it."

**Because Harry couldn't think of anything else to do, and because he wanted to be doing something, he agreed. The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole.**

**Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.**

**Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.**

**"Oh ****-**** Mr. Potter ****-**** Mr. Weasley ****-****" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment ****- ****if you would be quick ****-****"**

**"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."**

**"Er ****-**** well ****-**** it's not terribly ****-****" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean ****-**** well ****-**** all right ****-****"**

**He opened the door and they entered.**

**His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.**

"That bloody git is running away!" Molly screeched. "My daughter needs him!"

"No I didn't." Ginny frowned, "I would have been dead if it was him who came to the chamber." she said.

"Your forgetting Molly. Lockhart was scared of his own shadow." Sirius put in.

**"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry.**

**"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call ****-**** unavoidable ****-**** got to go ****-****"**

**"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily.**

**"Well, as to that ****-**** most unfortunate ****-****" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I ****-****"**

"Yeah right." Harry growled. "Said the git who was going to leave her to die." he tightened his hold on Ginny protectively, making her smile weakly.

**"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"**

**"Well ****-**** I must say ****-**** when I took the job ****-****" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description ****-**** didn't expect ****-****"**

"It is in the job description." Remus said, "It says the DADA teacher is expected to deal with most of the dark stuff going on in the castle if needed." he explained.

**"You mean you're running away?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books ****-****"**

**"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately.**

**"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.**

**"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on ****-****"**

"I can't believe him." Regulus snarled. "He stole other's people accomplishments."

"Why wouldn't anyone complain about that?" Fred asked.

"He probably got the stories from them, then erased their memories." Astoria said.

"He wouldn't dare..." Lily trailed off, too angry to continue.

"He's going to erase their memories." Sirius finished for her, just as angry.

**"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.**

**"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."**

"What about all the hard work those people did in doing those things?" Remus snarled.

"Selfish, attention-seeking git." Dora growled.

**He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.**

**"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."**

**He pulled out his wand and turned to them.**

**"Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book ****-****"**

**Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, "Expelliarmus!"**

**Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window.**

"He should have kept it. It's better than his." Remus said.

"I really should have. But the broken wand came in handy and we didn't want him to have a proper wand." Ron smirked

**"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.**

**"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."**

**"You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."**

"Why are you taking that prat?" Sirius asked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged. "Better him than us if we ran into danger." Harry explained.

"Good point." Sirius nodded. "I'd much rather this git got hurt than you two."

**They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.**

**They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking.**

"Sadist." Sirius laughed.

**Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.**

**"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"**

**"To ask you how you died," said Harry.**

**Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.**

"Why is talking about death and having Deathday parties so great to ghosts?" Lily asked.

"I suppose it gives them something to look forward to." Minerva frowned, "It has to be quite boring to be a ghost." she reasoned.

**"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then ****-****" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."**

**"How?" said Harry.**

**"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away..." She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."**

**"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.**

**"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.**

**Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.**

**It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.**

**"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.**

**"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."**

"Of course. The Heir would make it so only his descendant could get into the chamber by speaking Parseltongue. And no one would ever think to look in the girls' bathroom." Remus said.

**"But ****-****" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.**

**"Open up," he said.**

**He looked at Ron, who shook his head.**

**"English," he said.**

**Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.**

**"Open up," he said.**

**Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.**

**Harry heard Ron gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do.**

**"I'm going down there," he said.**

**He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive.**

Molly smiled weakly.

**"Me too," said Ron.**

**There was a pause.**

**"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just ****-****"**

**He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.**

**"You can go first," Ron snarled.**

**White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening.**

**"Boys," he said, his voice feeble. "Boys, what good will it do?"**

"Better for him to test that the passage is safe." Sirius said.

**Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.**

**"I really don't think ****-****" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.**

**It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves.**

**And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too.**

"How do you get out of there?" Fred asked.

"Help from a friend." Harry said mysteriously.

**"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.**

**"Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls.**

"If the Slytherin common room is under the lake then its likley." Cissy nodded.

**All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead.**

**"Lumos!" Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. "C'mon," he said to Ron and Lockhart, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor.**

**The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.**

**"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away..."**

**But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud crunch as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel.**

**"Harry ****-**** there's something up there ****-****" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder.**

**They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving.**

**"Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.**

**Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high.**

**The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.**

"Oh my, that's big." Petunia gasped.

"The live version was bigger." Harry shrugged.

**"Blimey," said Ron weakly.**

**There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way.**

**"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.**

**Lockhart got to his feet ****-**** then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.**

**Harry jumped forward, but too late ****-**** Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.**

Everyone groaned but Harry and Ron laughed. When they saw everybody's curious looks they said.

"Obviously were fine but remember Ron's wand is broken." Harry chuckled evilly. Most in the room grinned seeing where this was going.

**"The adventure ends here, boys!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body ****-**** say good-bye to your memories!"**

**He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled, "Obliviate!"**

**The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.**

"Harry's going alone!" Lily screeched.

**"Ron!" he shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!"**

**"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay ****-**** this git's not, though ****-**** he got blasted by the wand ****-****"**

**There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.**

They all laughed.

"Go Ron!" Remus cheered. Ron mock-bowed from his seat.

**"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through ****-**** it'll take ages..."**

**Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try ****-**** what if the whole tunnel caved in?**

"Harry is smarter than his father, thank Merlin." Lily said.

"I wouldn't have blasted the rocks apart." James pouted. "I think at times."

Sirius laughed. "I think you would have."

James growled. "Everyone's against me."

"I believe you wouldn't be that stupid Dad." Harry soothed.

"Thank you Harry. See my son has faith in me." James stuck his tongue out at his wife who laughed at his childish actions.

**There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks. They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours... Harry knew there was only one thing to do.**

**"Wait there," he called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on... If I'm not back in an hour..."**

**There was a very pregnant pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can ****-**** can get back through. And, Harry ****-****"**

"What were you going to say?" Harry asked.

"I was going to say be careful because I didn't want to lose you too." Ron admitted. "I didn't want to lose my sister and best mate in one night. Or ever." Harry nodded in understanding, he reached over Ginny and patted Ron's shoulder while Hermione hugged him.

**"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice.**

**And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.**

**Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.**

**Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive.**

**He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.**

**"Open," said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.**

**The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.**

"Give me a minute to change the memory." Harry said getting up.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 - Second Year (Part 8)

8th, August, 1998.

Once Harry had changed the memory he sat down again, "Are you going to be alright Gin?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." she whispered, "But I'm not staying human." she changed into Misty and curled up with her head on his knee as the memory started.

**He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny?**

**He pulled out his wand**

"Your wand should have already been out." Fred said.

"We were so innocent back them." Harry smiled.

"And now?" Sirius asked.

"We're paranoid and have our wands on us and easy to reach all the time." Hermione replied.

"Not as paranoid as Mad-Eye I hope." Dora said.

"We can get to that level when somethings going on. Like if the Death Eaters that are still loose are being quiet." Ron explained.

"Yes but we can't blame you. There's lot's of people who want you dead." Neville sighed.

"There's a few who want us dead too Neville. Ginny too." Luna put in.

"Why would they want you dead?" Petunia asked.

"Well the Silver Trio made a mockery out of the Death Eater's last year and the Golden Trio brought about Voldemort's downfall." George explained.

"Add to the fact that Harry actually killed Voldemort a lot of people want to either kill him or hurt him using those closest to him." Kingsley added.

"You got that right." Harry muttered.

**and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir.**

**Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.**

**Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.**

"Ginny." Molly said scared.

**"Ginny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny ****-**** don't be dead ****-**** please don't be dead ****-****" He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be...**

_That must have been horrible for you,_ Misty said to Harry. He nodded.

**"Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side.**

**"She won't wake," said a soft voice.**

"Must be Riddle." Remus said quietly.

**Harry jumped and spun around on his knees.**

**A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him.**

**"Tom ****-**** Tom Riddle?"**

**Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.**

**"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not ****-**** she's not ****-****?"**

**"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."**

**Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.**

**"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.**

**"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."**

**He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there ****-**** but there were more pressing matters to deal with.**

**"You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me."**

"He's not going to help you," James said darkly.

"How can he do this to a little girl?" Sirius said angrily.

_That little girl was stupid,_ Misty muttered silently,_ I should never have trusted that diary._

_Gin, you were 11 and you felt alone. You didn't know what would happen,_ Harry sighed, _I would have done the same thing if I had never met Ron or Hermione, _he admitted.

**Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.**

**But his wand had gone.**

"Damn it." James swore, looking very white.

**"Did you see ****-****?"**

**He looked up. Riddle was still watching him ****-**** twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.**

James paled even more and pulled Lily closer to him.

**"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it.**

"Learn the difference between a friend and an enemy, cub." Remus said.

**A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.**

**"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight.**

"Don't say dead." Lily muttered.

**"We've got to go! If the basilisk comes ****-****"**

**"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly.**

"So that bastard is going to call it soon to kill Harry." Draco said darkly.

Harry snorted, "He can try to kill me all he likes. It never worked once." he explained, "Or are you forgetting this is Voldemort? The same monsters ass I kicked in May?"

"Very good point." he admitted.

**Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer.**

**"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it ****-****"**

**Riddle's smile broadened.**

**"You won't be needing it," he said.**

**Harry stared at him.**

**"What d'you mean, I won't be ****-****?"**

**"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."**

"How could he possibly know who Harry is?" Sirius asked. Misty looked at the floor.

"He would've figured it out eventually." Harry whispered to her, scratching behind her ears comfortingly.

**"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later ****-****"**

"It's you who's not getting it." Dora said sadly.

**"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.**

**Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here...**

"Took you long enough to start realizing it." Andy said.

**"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly.**

**"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."**

"Which, I'm sure, we taught her to never do!" Molly frowned.

"We did with all of them." Arthur also frowned.

Misty changed back, "Sorry Mum." Ginny looked miserable before quickly changing back.

"But Ginny's alive thank's to Harry and we could never be more grateful for that fact." Molly sighed, she smiled at Harry who smiled back.

**"What are you talking about?" said Harry.**

**"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes ****-**** how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how ****-****" Riddle's eyes glinted "****-**** how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her..."**

"That's what diaries are for. They aren't suppose to talk back." Lily growled.

**All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.**

**"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket..."**

Dora and Lily were glaring at the memory. They both had a diary as a young girl and wrote stuff like that too. The diary was someone they could confide in.

**Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck.**

**"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..."**

Everyone shuddered. The Golden and Silver Trio's both looked sick.

**"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry.**

**"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."**

**"No," Harry whispered.**

**"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries... far more interesting, they became... Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, "'I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me... There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad... I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'"**

"Sick bastard using a little girl wo wasn't even 12 yet." Bill growled. Misty whimpered her agreement.

**Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms.**

**"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet..."**

"Why does he want to meet Harry so badly?" James asked.

"Well, he's Voldemort and Harry is the reason for his downfall." Remus replied.

"He want's to know how it happened." Lily concluded.

**"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady.**

**"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust ****-****"**

"Bastard, framing Hagrid and using Ginny. He's horrible." Sirius hissed.

"He's Voldemort what do you expect?" Harry retorted. "He'd do anything to get what he want's."

**"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but ****-****"**

**Riddle laughed his high laugh again.**

**"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student... on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed,"**

"I'm positive he wasn't doing that." Remus said. "It's impossible."

**"sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls... but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance... as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!"**

"Bastard." Draco muttered, he liked Hagrid once they got to know each other after the war. Astoria smacked him for his language, "Ow! Come on, Teddy can't even hear me and Cecelia can't talk yet!" he protested.

"Knowing you you're bound to slip up later if you swear now." she told him, "Best not let you get away with it even if I agree."

**"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed... Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did..."**

"That's because Dumbledore could see right through you." Hermione said.

**"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted.**

Hermione blinked.

"Hermione you should be used to it by now. We know each other so well it's common for us to say the same thing now and again." Ron said. Harry nodded looking amused.

**"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."**

**"Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again ****-****"**

**"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been ****-**** you."**

**Harry stared at him.**

**"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked.****What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery ****-**** particularly if one of your best friends was attacked.****"**

The memory was given many dark glares. "He attacked Hermione to get Harry to solve the mystery no matter what?" Remus growled.

"I really hate him." Sirius said.

"Everybody hates him." Cissy pointed out.

"Except Bella." Regulus commented disgustedly, "I swear she was in love with him."

**"And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue...****So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."**

**"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched.**

**"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you ****-**** a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent****"**

Hermione snorted. "He has a lot of magical talent. Voldemort was just too arrogant to see it."

**"-**** managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"**

**There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.**

**"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."**

**"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."**

**He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:**

**TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE**

**Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:**

**I AM LORD VOLDEMORT**

**"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course.****"**

"Voldemort doesn't have friends, just followers." Draco scoffed.

**"****You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry ****-**** I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"**

"Albus is the greatest sorcerer in the world." James hissed.

**Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others... At last he forced himself to speak.**

**"You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.**

Lily and James smiled. Their son was very loyal.

**"Not what?" snapped Riddle.**

**"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days ****-****"**

"Nicely said, pup." Sirius said.

"Though very stupid since you don't have your wand or anyway to defend yourself." Astoria commented.

Harry shrugged.

**The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.**

**"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.**

**"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true.**

**Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.**

**Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.**

"What is Fawkes doing there?" Remus asked.

"Helping Harry." James replied.

Sirius raised a brow. "He's a Phoenix. What's he going to do?"

"I don't know, but he's going to help." James retorted.

"He must be there because Harry showed loyalty to Albus." Lily said absently.

**A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.**

**A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.**

**The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.**

**"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.**

**"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.**

**"And that ****-****" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat ****-****"**

"Uh... what?" Sirius looked confused.

"Oh I think I know what's coming next." Neville grinned, "It's the you-know-what isn't it?" Harry nodded.

"And what's the you-know-what?" Lily asked.

"Not telling." Harry said.

**So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.**

**Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once.**

**"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"**

**Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting.**

**"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice ****-**** in your past, in my future ****-**** we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."**

**Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had the wand. He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right... but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny... and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid... If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later.**

"There's the stupid Gryffindor bravery." Draco commented.

"Draco!" Molly snapped.

"He has no way to defend himself." Regulus said, defending his little cousin. "It's pretty stupid to fight with no way to defend yourself."

"Their right it was stupid, but it was worth it." Harry admitted.

**"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul ****-****"**

"Stop making him madder, Harry." Arthur sighed.

"But it's fun." Harry pouted. "Plus it distracts him from killing me for a few minutes."

**Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now... there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike... but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."**

"It's creepy that they are so much alike." Remus said.

"And that's only cause Voldemort attacked Harry as a baby." Hermione scoffed. "They would be really different if Voldemort never attacked the Potters."

"How so?" Sirius asked.

"Harry wouldn't be an orphan, wouldn't have been raised by Muggles, and he wouldn't have been a Parselmouth." Hermione replied.

James blinked. "Voldemort gave you the ability to speak Parselmouth? How is that possible?"

"It's something that you'll learn later." Harry replied. "Don't worry it's explained in tonight's memories."

**Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.**

**"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."**

**He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed ****-**** but Harry understood what he was saying...**

"Hold on." Harry flicked his wand at the pensive. "You should be able to understand him as well now." he explained.

**"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."**

"Your right we can understand and his statement is wrong Salazar Slytherin wasn't the greatest. No offence to the people in Slytherin, but he's probably the worst." Fred said, they all nodded in agreement.

**Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder.**

**Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.**

**And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.**

"The Basilisk!" Lily said fearfully.

**Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?**

"Fawkes isn't going anywhere." Remus said.

**Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder ****-**** he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice:**

**"Kill him."**

**The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way ****-**** Voldemort was laughing.**

**Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming.**

"No, no, no, no, no..." Lily muttered fearfully.

**There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.**

**He couldn't help it ****-**** he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on.**

"Don't do that, Harry." Remus said.

"Didn't you learn anything?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I learned its bloody hard to kill a basilisk with your eyes closed." Harry smirked. "Much easier if I can see." he added.

"Idiot." Hermione muttered fondly.

**The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake.**

**Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned ****-**** Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.**

"YES!" The Marauders and Lily screamed.

"He's safe." Molly breathed, "Well safer."

"True, it was easier when I could see what I was doing, didn't stop the basilisk from trying to eat me though." Harry mused.

**"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!"**

**The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes.**

**"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone ****-**** anyone..."**

"Wow, you're actually asking for help. That's new." Hermione said.

"I never had a weapon. How was I going to survive without help?" Harry pouted.

**The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face.**

**The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance ****-**** he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again.**

"What's wearing a hat going to do?" Sirius asked.

**Help me ****-**** help me ****-**** Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me.**

**There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly.**

**Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it.**

"What is it?" Sirius asked excited.

**A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.**

"Of course!" James smacked his forehead, "Gryffindor's sword!"

**"KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF ****-**** SMELL HIM."**

**Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous ****-**

**It lunged blindly ****-**** Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands ****-**

**The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true ****-**** Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth ****-**

"YES!" the twins yelled.

"The monster is finally gone." Remus said smiling.

**But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.**

"Basilisk's fangs are really poisonous and kill within a minute." Remus said worriedly.

"WHAT?" Lily yelled.

"But Phoenix's tears heal the poison." Remus replied.

Lily calmed down some.

**Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color.**

**A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him.**

**"Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes..."**

**He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him.**

**He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him.**

**"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."**

"Voldemort is an idiot." Remus said.

"Yes he is." most replied.

**Harry blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.**

**"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."**

**Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.**

**"So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged.****"**

"Harry's never challenged him. He's not an idiot." Lily said.

"And we have not forsaken him!" Ron and Hermione yelled.

**"You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry... She bought you twelve years of borrowed time... but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..."**

"If he got me why am I alive?" Harry questioned looking confused making everyone chuckle.

**If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad.**

**Even the pain was leaving him...**

"That's not dying. That's Fawkes." Remus said. "He would know if he was dying."

"What does death feel like?" Dudley asked the returnees gently.

Remus sighed. "Painful."

"How would you know? You're not dead." Petunia asked.

"I was. And I was a werewolf. I've come close to dying and I have even died for about a minute before the Healers could get my heart started up again. It's painful." Remus explained.

"Wasn't so bad getting hit with the killing curse." James said, Lily nodding her agreement, "Never felt anything."

"I'll agree with that." Remus admitted grimly, "Physical injury killing you hurts like hell though."

"I didn't feel much when I was blasted through the veil." Sirius shrugged, he looked at his brother.

"Cant say." Regulus shrugged.

"Why not?" Fred asked, "The rest of us never felt anything, I didn't feel anything either."

Regulus looked at Harry, silently asking if he should say something or not.

"As long as you don't say how you died yet you can tell them." Harry shrugged.

"It was hard to tell really. A little painful I guess." he sighed, "I suppose you'll find out later."

**But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound ****-**** except that there was no wound.**

**"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him ****-**** I said, get away ****-****"**

"He's finally realized." Hermione scoffed.

**Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.**

**"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..."****He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter... you and me..."**

**He raised the wand...**

**Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap ****-**** the diary.**

"Why would he give you that?" Sirius asked.

"To kill the memory," Remus said.

"But how is he supposed to destroy it?" Sirius questioned.

He didn't get an answer.

**For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.**

"Like that." Harry smirked.

**There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then ****-**

**He had gone.**

"Good." Molly breathed in relief. "That means Ginny is safe then?" Harry nodded grinning at Misty who also nodded.

**Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.**

**Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth.**

**Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.**

"Must be a really horrible memory for you." Fred said.

"It definitely changed her." Hermione replied. "She became less trusting." Misty nodded.

**"Harry ****-**** oh, Harry ****-**** I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy ****-**** it was me, Harry ****-**** but I ****-**** I s-swear I d-didn't mean to ****-**** R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over ****-**** and ****-**** how did you kill that ****-**** that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary ****-****"**

**"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here ****-****"**

"So compassionate of him." Lily rolled her eyes.

"As long as Riddle is gone, I don't think Ginny cared." Astoria said. Misty nodded again.

**"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and ****-**** w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"**

"Ginny you were too young to remember me going to Hogwarts." Bill said, "You were just born."

Misty changed back into Ginny, "Maybe it's from when you were leaving for your second year." she shrugged, "The memory is still there and I'm not older than 2 at any rate."

"It's possible." Harry said, "People would argue and say I couldn't possibly remember anything from when I was a baby but I do remember some of it. Even before Voldemort attacked." he added.

"Well that's new. Since when have you been able to remember it?" Hermione asked.

"From when I was sick in May." he replied.

"We're going to talk about this later mate. You never told us that." Ron warned.

"And Ginny, you wouldn't get expelled for something you couldn't control." Minerva said kindly.

**Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.**

**After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears.**

**"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"**

**He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.**

**"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How ****-**** what ****-**** where did that bird come from?"**

"Sure Ron, ignore me as soon as you see the bird." Ginny giggled, she felt better now the worst was over.

**Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny.**

**"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself.**

**"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.**

"Yes, that would be surprising and confusing." Andy said.

"It was. He went with only his wand and he came back with a bird, the sorting hat and a sword." Ron chuckled.

**"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.**

**"But ****-****"**

**"Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?"**

**"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."**

**Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.**

**"His memory's gone," said Ron.**

They all grinned at that.

**"The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."**

**Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all.**

**"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"**

Remus laughed. "Clueless Lockhart. So much better than the other git he was before."

**"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry.**

**Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.**

**"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron.**

**Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him.**

**"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there ****-****"**

**"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart ****-****"**

"Lockhart has no memory! He's gone!" Remus cheered suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Dora asked.

"His memory is gone. He can't be a professor anymore." Remus grinned.

**"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.**

**"You hold Ginny's other hand ****-****"**

**Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers.**

**An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!"**

They all laughed.

**The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over ****-**** all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.**

**Myrtle goggled at them.**

**"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.**

**"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.**

**"Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.**

"Ew, she likes you." Sirius said.

**"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"**

**But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face.**

**"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed.**

**Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.**

**Harry knocked and pushed the door open.**

"I love how Fawkes automatically knew where Albus and I were." Minerva chuckled.

"Well it was either your office to tell you first or his office if yours was empty, then eventually we would have made sure to get Ginny to the Hospital wing." Ron explained.

"Right this is the last memory for today." Harry said changing it as he spoke.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50 - Second Year (Part 8.5)

8th, August, 1998.

"Right this will be everything that happens from now until we go home." Harry explained.

**For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream.**

**"Ginny!"**

**It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.**

"They're going to hug the poor girl to death." Sirius laughed.

Ginny nodded, "They did but I kept pushing them away. I didn't want to be around people." she explained.

**Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore**

"YES!" Remus and James cheered.

"HE'S BACK!" Sirius yelled.

"None of this would have happened if he never got suspended. Stupid Malfoy." Lily said.

"Couldn't agree more." Cissy and Draco said.

**was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest.**

"You must have been really scared to learn that two of your students went into the Chamber with an idiot." Sirius said.

"They almost gave me a heart attack." Minerva agreed.

"Again." Ron added cheekily.

**Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.**

"And now they are going to be hugged to death." Sirius said.

**"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"**

**"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.**

**Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.**

**Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom...**

"Did you notice that he didn't say anything about the polyjuice potion?" Sirius said.

"Of course I didn't. I'm not stupid enough to get us in even more trouble then what we were already in." Harry chuckled.

**"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was ****-**** breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way,****"**

"Merlin, pup is great. He can break all these rules and never get in trouble." Sirius grinned.

**"****I might add ****-**** but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"**

**So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary ****-**** or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore... How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?**

"Dumbledore will understand. He won't expel her." James said.

"And I wouldn't either, not after what you had been through." Minerva added.

Ginny smiled faintly.

**Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.**

**"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."**

**Relief ****-**** warm, sweeping, glorious relief ****-**** swept over Harry. "W-what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not... Ginny hasn't been... has she?"**

**"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen..."**

**Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.**

"Bet he knew what it was." Hermione muttered.

"We all know what it is." Sirius said, slightly confused.

"There is more to it then it just being a possessed diary." Harry said darkly.

Everyone looked at him confused, except Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna.

**"Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered.**

**"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school... traveled far and wide... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."**

"He wasn't even human anymore." Harry said.

"Really?" James asked.

"What do you mean he wasn't human anymore?" Remus asked.

"You'll learn in the later years." Hermione replied.

**"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with ****-**** with ****-**** him?"**

**"His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year ****-****"**

**"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything. What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!****"**

**"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it ****-****"**

"I doubt that." Fred said.

**"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice ****-**** I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."**

**"So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.**

"Aww, so sweet." Sirius teased.

Lily smacked Sirius on the back of the head as Ron rolled his eyes.

**"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.**

**Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.**

**"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"**

**"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"**

**"Certainly," said Dumbledore.**

**She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely ****-**** surely ****-**** they weren't about to be punished?**

"Nah, Dumbledore is just going to eat his words." James grinned.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"When Harry and Ron drove the car to school, Albus said that if they broke any more rules he would expel them. He's going to eat those words." James said cheerfully.

**"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore.**

**Ron opened his mouth in horror.**

**"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling.**

Everyone laughed. "Prongs thinks just like Albus!" Sirius exclaimed looking horrified.

**"You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and ****-**** let me see ****-**** yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."**

**Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again.**

**"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"**

**Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart.**

"Don't worry I had too." Ron chuckled.

**He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.**

**"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart ****-****"**

**"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"**

Sirius laughed. "This Lockhart is great."

**"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.**

**"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"**

"Why would Albus hire him if he knew the truth?" Lily asked.

"He didn't have much choice." Minerva sighed, "Lockhart was the only one who applied."

**"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."**

They all laughed again.

**"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron.**

**"I'd like a few more words with Harry..."**

**Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door.**

**Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.**

**"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.**

**"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."**

**He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.**

**"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you..."**

**Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.**

**"Professor Dumbledore... Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said..."**

**"Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"**

**"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm ****-**** I'm in Gryffindor, I'm..."**

**But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.**

**"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd ****-**** I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while... because I can speak Parseltongue..."**

**"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort ****-**** who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin ****-**** can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"**

Everyone stared shocked at the memory,

"What else did you get from Voldemort?" James asked his son.

"You will find out later. Probably 4th or 5th year." Harry replied, "There's a few thing's I'm not sure if they were his powers or mine."

**"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.**

**"It certainly seems so."**

**"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it ****-****"**

**"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue ****-**** resourcefulness ****-**** determination ****-**** a certain disregard for rules,****"**

"James, Sirius and Remus have three of those things too." Lily said.

**he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."**

"Because Harry wanted to be in the best house ever!" James said.

**"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin..."**

**"Exactly,"****said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."**

**Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.**

**Godric Gryffindor**

**"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.**

James smiled brightly. "And Harry certainly showed bravery down in the Chamber."

**For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.**

**"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban ****- ****we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"**

"Yes. We do." Minerva sighed.

**Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.**

**Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.**

"So he was your's all along?" Dudley asked Draco and Cissy.

"Yes but it was only ever Lucius that was horrible to him." Cissy explained.

"Yeah, I had ordered him to act scared when he was with either me or Mother." Draco added, "He really was terrified of my Father though." he frowned.

**"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.**

**Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.**

**The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoy's shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.**

**"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."**

**"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."**

**Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.**

**"So ****-**** have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"**

**"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.**

**"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"**

**"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."**

**He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely.**

"Why?" James asked.

"Because that idiot is the one who gave Ginny the diary." Harry growled.

"How do you know that?" Lily asked.

"He grabbed Ginny's book in the book store. He gave it to her after he gave her the book back." Ron snarled.

Arthur's eyes flashed angrily. "How dare he give that book to my little girl! I'm glad he's in Azkaban."

**Harry, however, was watching Dobby.**

**The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.**

"He's trying to tell me that Malfoy gave it to Ginny." Harry said.

**"I see..." said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.**

**"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here ****-****" Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why ****-**** Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will..."**

**Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.**

"That's how you know he's hiding something. He uses that mask." Cissy frowned.

**"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then... The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and ****-**** killing Muggle-borns... Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise..."**

"Malfoy did all this because of a Muggle Protection Act?" Sirius said outraged.

Arthur still looked furious that Malfoy hurt his daughter.

**Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak.**

**"Very fortunate," he said stiffly.**

**And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.**

**And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.**

**"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry.**

**Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.**

**"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.**

**"Because you gave it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"**

**He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.**

**"Prove it," he hissed.**

**"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you..."**

"Are there any more You-know-whats from Voldemort's school things?" Regulus asked.

Hermione smiled. "No, no more school things."

"He did make more while at school though." Harry told him.

Most looked curious, but didn't question further knowing they wouldn't get answered.

**Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!"**

**He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor.**

"That poor house-elf. Harry save him." Lily said.

"I do." Harry rolled his eyes.

**Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him ****-**

**"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"**

**"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember..." Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Then he ran down the dark corridor.**

James grinned. "He's going to set Dobby free."

Hermione, Lily and Dora beamed.

**He caught up with them at the top of the stairs.**

**"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you ****-****"**

**And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand.**

**"What the ****-****?"**

**Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too."**

Remus and Sirius gave the memory dark looks. "Shut up." Sirius hissed.

"How dare he threaten my son?" Lily screeched.

**He turned to go.**

**"Come, Dobby. I said, come."**

**But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.**

**"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."**

**"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"**

**"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby ****-**** Dobby is free."**

**Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry.**

**"You've lost me my servant, boy!"**

**But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"**

**There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below.**

Everyone laughed. "He finally got what he deserves. Now that just leaves his son getting what he deserves." Sirius said.

"Oh I got what I deserved eventually." Draco muttered.

**He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.**

**"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now."**

Sirius laughed more. "Dobby is great!"

**Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.**

**"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"**

**"Least I could do, Dobby," said Harry, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again."**

Harry winced. He wasn't sure if Dobby had taken him seriously or not.

**The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.**

**"I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well ****-****"**

**"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"**

"That doesn't help if Harry doesn't know much about Voldemort." Remus said.

**"Right," said Harry weakly. "Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now..."**

**Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him.**

**"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!"**

**And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.**

**Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night.**

"I wish we could have had a feast like that!" Sirius said envious.

"It would be so fun!" James agreed.

"I was thinking about something similar but instead of a feast maybe a party." Minerva mused. "A pajama party or costume party. Just a little something to celebrate the fall of Voldemort."

"That actually sounds like a good idea. No one here really felt like celebrating." Molly nodded.

"Why?" Fred asked.

"What do you think?" George frowned.

"Because of the people who died? Me, Remus and Dora?" Fred guessed.

"Yes you three were the closest to us that died that night but there was almost 50 others that died too. And then there was the problem with..." Hermione was cut off.

"We can explain that later." Harry said sharply. "It's a long story and it will be shown anyway even if I don't want to show it." he muttered.

**Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat**

"Wish we could have got that!" Sirius said.

"And it seems that Minnie finally agrees with us about not having exams." James said.

"Actually that was Albus's idea. I just agreed to it." Minerva admitted.

**("Oh, no!" said Hermione),**

"You've been petrified. You had no time to study. How could you be upset?" Sirius asked.

Hermione just shrugged.

**or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.**

"The best news better had been me coming back." Hermione said angrily, but it was ruined by her smiling.

"All those great things that happened at the end of the year," Sirius said, "Sounds great."

**"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He ****w****as starting to grow on me."**

**The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences ****-**** Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor.**

"Yes!" The Marauders and twins cheered.

**Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.**

"That's no surprise now that she's not being possessed." Fred said.

"Clearly." Ginny smiled, "It was mainly relief about not being expelled as well as getting rid of that stupid book."

**Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it.**

"It is a very useful spell." Harry said.

"You didn't let it become your signature move though did you?" Remus asked.

"I know I said I wouldn't but... Yes I did." he replied smirking. When he saw a few confused looks he added, "We had a dissagreement about that last year. I won't tell you all the details but basically Remus didn't think it was wise to allow that to become my signature move because I used it so often the Death Eater's started recognising it even if I was in disguise." he explained.

**They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.**

**"Ginny ****-**** what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"**

**"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well ****-**** Percy's got a girlfriend."**

"Ginny! You weren't supposed to tell them!" Percy whined.

"Sorry Percy, but they would have found out eventually." she laughed.

**Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head.**

"Sorry George." Fred winced.

"I was just as shocked as you." George shrugged.

**"What?"**

**"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny.**

"That's obvious." James said.

"How?" Sirius asked.

"Ron and Harry ran into her when they went into the dungeons as Crabbe and Goyle. Then after her, they met Percy. It's obvious now that I think about it." James explained.

**"That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was ****-**** you know ****-**** attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.**

**"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.**

**"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.**

"You shouldn't have said that. You would have known they would tease him." James said.

"That's what I was counting on." Ginny said cheerfully.

Percy glared at her while the others laughed.

"Were you aware our little sister has a very annoying sense of humor?" he asked Bill and Charlie.

"Of course." Bill smirked.

"You would've noticed if you didn't spend so much time locked in your room." Charlie added.

Percy sighed but didn't comment.

**The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.**

**Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.**

**"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer ****-**** he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to..."**

"That's not a good idea, Harry. Pure-bloods are complete idiots when it comes to using Muggle things." Lily said.

Dudley laughed. "No kidding. Dad was furious to find someone yelling down the phone at him."

**"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"**

"He didn't tell you how bad it was?" Sirius asked.

"He didn't want us to worry, but he did tell us eventually." Hermione replied glaring at Harry.

**"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…"**

"I wouldn't." Petunia huffed, "I know I didn't show it but I did care. I would have been very upset if something had happened to you."

Harry smiled at her, "I didn't know that did I?" she shook her head sadly.

**And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.**

"Right that was second year." Harry announced.

"Wow." Dora said.

"Yes, I think that sums it up." James nodded.

"Is next year better?" Fleur asked.

"Um... It depends on how you look at it I suppose." Harry replied.

"What does that mean?" Lily asked.

"Well... a mass murderer breaks out of prison." Hermione shrugged.

"Meaning me by any chance?" Sirius asked smirking.

"Yep." Ron nodded.

"And we meet Remus for the first time." Harry grinned. "He's the new DADA teacher."

"Well done Remus!" Lily congratulated. "You always wanted to be a teacher." Remus nodded.

"And you will find out the rest as we go. For now I think it's bedtime." Harry said looking at his watch. "It's 11.30 so it's pretty late."

"What time are we continuing at tomorrow?" Draco asked. "Because we need to return to the manor tonight." he nodded at his mother and Astoria.

"We're going back to Shell Cottage." Bill added as Fleur nodded. "We have a few things to sort out."

"Um about noon I think." Harry replied. "Maybe just after lunch so between 11 and 11.30." they all nodded and either went home for the night (Minerva, Kingsley, Cissy, Draco, Astoria, Bill and Fleur) or up to bed.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51 - The Article.

9th, August, Monday, 1998.

The next morning at 9am when everyone had woken up and were sitting eating breakfast, Harry suddenly thought of something.

"How are we going to go about announcing about the returnees being back?" he asked.

"We're meant to do an article about it for the Prophet." Ginny frowned, "Maybe one for the Quibbler as well." she added looking at Luna who nodded.

"Yes but you know half the time people don't believe anything they read in the Prophet anymore not after that mess in my 5th year." Harry pointed out. "They'll only half-beleive the Quibbler too."

"You could still do the article then do something at the Ministry." Arthur suggested, "People listen to you so you could announce it then give them the proof by dragging the returnees on stage."

"We could do a questioning." Dora suggested. "Like we all take a little Veritaserum and you ask us common questions like 'Are you an imposter?' and things like that."

"That's a good idea. People will have to believe you then." Molly nodded.

"There's a problem though." Sirius said, "I can't take Veritaserum." he admitted.

"Why?" Regulus asked.

"Azkaban." Sirius muttered. "While I was in there I got questioned but they never believed me even with the potion so they tortured me..." he paused, "Eventually what they done almost killed me. At first the used the standard 3 drops of Veritaserum but they got frustrated..." he trailed off. No one noticed Kingsley standing in the doorway silently.

"What did they do to you Paddy?" James asked softly.

Sirius looked up with haunted eyes. "The normal dose of that potion is 3 drops for a reason, it can kill you if you take more because it has a ingredient that poisons in high quantity. When they got frustrated they made me take 10 drops and they still didn't believe me so they left me in the cell with a healer. I only just survived it. After that they ignored me. But one more drop of that stuff can kill me." he finished in a whisper.

Everyone was shocked.

"How come no one found out about this and who were 'they'?" Harry asked gently.

"They kept it quiet for a reason and it was Fudge and Umbridge." he replied bitterly. James put an arm around his shoulder offering silent support.

"Well that gives me incentive to raise their sentences." Kingsley said making everyone jump and spin around. "Umbridge is already in Azkaban but Fudge is still around."

"Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?" Harry snapped, he had thought Kingsley was a Death Eater and had pulled his wand out and pointed it at him ready to curse him until he saw who it was, he wasn't the only one either.

"Sorry I thought you heard me." Kingsley apologized. "Merlin I forgot how jumpy you all are in the morning." he said watching warily as Ron, Hermione, Harry, Neville, Luna and Ginny all put their wands away.

"With good reason." Hermione snapped.

"Calm down you two. He clearly didn't mean it." Ron soothed Harry and Hermione. Just then Minerva joined Kingsley in the doorway.

"Hello everyone. You surprised them didn't you Kingsley?" she chuckled as Harry and Hermione glared at Kingsley.

"Um... Yes, I thought they heard me come in."

"Well we didn't." Harry huffed, "Really Kingsley, you should know better than to surprise us because the chance of you getting cursed are high." he then explained what they had talked about to Minerva and Sirius explained about the Veritaserum.

"They did that to you?" Minerva asked shocked, "Oh Sirius. If Albus had known he would have done everything he could to get you out of there. Anyone with a brain would see you weren't lying."

"What is that Verita-serum?" Dudley asked confused, Petunia also looked confused.

"I think that's the one that forces you to tell the truth. Isn't it?" Amber asked.

"That's the one. You know it's still hard to believe you're a witch. And my sister for that matter." Remus said.

Amber smiled handing Cecelia to Dudley, "That's because I didn't grow up in the magical world." she explained, "I've always been hidden away."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Simple. Greyback would have come for me the same way he did Remus. I've known he's been after me since I was 15 when I insulted him." she added.

"Wait a minute... I'm going to guess you were the one that threw silver at him then called him a monster?" Remus asked.

"Yes but how did you know that?"

"I was at the camps he runs trying to convince other werewolves to join the light or stay neutral." he explained, "I heard Greyback was looking for 'Mysterio' because she insulted him. He called her, you I guess, 'Mysterio' because he didn't actually know who it was."

Amber grinned, "Well it was me. But with me being home schooled hardly anyone knew I existed except in the muggle world. I went to Muggle school through the day and learned magic at night." she shrugged, "I can show you something I learned if you want? I don't have my wand but I can still show you." they all nodded so she placed her left hand palm up on the table and put her right hand palm down on top of it. Slowly she started to raise her right hand and by the time it was at shoulder height there was a pretty little purple rose sitting on her left hand.

"Wow." Petunia breathed. "That's quite amazing."

"It is. It takes a lot of concentration to be able to conjour things wandlessly." James said.

Dudley was in shock.

"Dud? Dudley?" Harry called.

Dudley blinked, "Sorry. That was the first time I've seen her do magic." he explained.

"And how long have you been married?" Molly asked.

"It's almost been two months. We've been together a year." he replied. "I only found out she was a witch the other day, when Harry came to see us." he explained.

"I would have, should have, told you sooner Dudley. I didn't know how you would react." Amber sighed. "When we got together you were still terrified of magic and I didn't want to lose you."

"I know Amber. I understand." he smiled. "For what it's worth I don't know how I would have reacted either." he chuckled.

Just then a wolf patronus flew into the room and opened it's mouth. "Sorry everyone we can't make it today, Fleur's feeling unwell. Should be there tomorrow though." it said in Bill's voice before disappearing.

"What was that?" Petunia asked.

"A Patronus. Hermione can you show them your's? I want to keep mine as a surprise." Harry asked. Hermione nodded and took out her wand.

"Expecto Patronum." she said clearly, a little otter burst out of her wand and swam around the room before disappearing.

"Isn't that similar to what saved us when..." Harry cut Dudley off with a nod.

"They're unique to each witch or wizard. They protect you against thing's like Dementors." Remus explained, "Which is why most people have different animals, because everyone is unique in their own way."

"They can be influenced though." Dora added, "Mine's changed because this idiot decided to play impossible to get." she elbowed Remus lightly and he blushed.

"And mine changed over the war." Ginny said. "It used to be a horse and now it's the counter part to Harry's." she said carefully.

"It can happen." Minerva nodded, "Usually it's through a severe emotional upheaval or something life changing."

"Like being attacked by a werewolf. Bill's used to be a eagle but it changed after he was attacked." Molly explained sadly.

"We don't know if that is what happened, it could have something to do with the sadness or shock of the attack happening." Remus argued. "I wouldn't be able to say if being bitten or attacked changed anything as I was only 4 and not many werewolves get magical education."

"Which will be changing once we go public about being Lycan's." Harry said, "Or at least I hope it will." he added to Minerva.

"Of course it will change. I don't see why children should miss out on education, but there's not much I can do about the adults." she replied.

"Fair enough. Let's work on that article..." Harry pulled out a piece of paper.

Ten minutes later.

"Done." Harry said smiling as the two former Malfoy's and Astoria walked in. "It doesn't say anything about Death because I'm not sure If he would mind being mentioned or not..."

"Why not summon him and ask?" Hermione suggested, Harry looked confused, "The ring Harry. Remember he told us to tell you that you could summon him with it if you had any questions."

"Oh yeah." Harry took the stone out of the holders on the ring before tuning the stone three times. Death appeared instantly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"We were wondering if you would mind being mentioned in the article that explained the returnees returning." Ginny said.

Death thought for a moment then nodded, "I don't mind but will people believe you?" he asked.

"Probably not." Harry sighed.

"Hmm... They might actually." Death said, "Show them the memory of the returnees coming out of the portal but don't show myself of Life." he explained, "We can't show ourselves to too many people and you can explain that to them."

"That sound's reasonable." Ginny nodded.

"Anymore questions?"

"Yes. The full moon is tomorrow, can you remind us of what to expect please?" Harry asked.

"Well... What to expect is a painless but forced transformation." Death looked uncomfortable as he said this.

"There's something you're not telling us." Harry accused.

"More like there's something I got wrong." Death muttered, "Once you're transformed you won't have all of your human mind but you will not be dangerous to any human you see. You can still control your wolf to a certain level but never completely. You also may find it hard to remember everything while transformed, at least for a few hours." he explained. "You don't need to worry about being separated from humans... it's hard to explain..." he trailed off.

"How could you get it wrong?" Draco asked.

"I was lied to... It was Lady Fate that gave me the information she only told me the truth today, she can be horrible when she want's to be." he explained, "Right in simple terms you will be like a werewolf on Wolfsbane but smarter, stronger and friendlier. You will find that the wolf side of you will crave human contact like a dog does." he cast a glance at Sirius who nodded, "Don't be afraid to make that contact because if you don't your wolf side will get depressed eventually and you end up losing the will to live."

"Right so basically make sure there's a human around or we end up depressed or dead?" Astoria muttered, "Brilliant." she added sarcastically.

"Oh and make sure there's plenty of water and food around. The transformations will make you hungry and thirsty." Death warned.

"I have another question." Harry said, "We've all been wondering why we can hear each other in our minds. At first it was just me and Ginny so we figured it was the soul bond but after we recognised ourselves as a pack in wolf form we could hear everyone that's been changed." he explained.

"Well it is basically a pack bond. With wolves there just as strong as a soul bond, it's how they communicate while hunting. It only activated once you recognised you were basically a pack." Death explained. "There's actually something I forgot to say about the soul bonds. They will affect your wolf side more than your human side... And a few more have activated."

"Can you tell us who?" Astoria asked.

"Of course. One is yourself Miss Greengrass with Mr Draco Black, it activated when he proposed to you. Another is between Mr Ronald Weasley with Miss Granger, that one activated a few nights ago. The latest is between Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom which activated last night. The times are random for activation." Death explained. "Some people are better off without a soul bond so it doesn't activate." he added, "If two people are made for each other, and are meant to be together, but they'd fall apart with a soul bond then it wont activate."

"I suppose it's a good thing." Molly smiled.

"Being Lycan's with a soul bond is different, even if only one of that couple is a wolf and the other isn't. The main difference is that Lycan's are more protective of their bonded mate than the rest of their pack." he explained, "Harry and Ginny here will be more protective of all of their pack due to the fact that they changed all of you." all the Lycan's nodded. "Just keep in mind though if someone threatens one of them then it's a bad idea, especially around full moons." they all nodded again. "I know information on soul bonds is hard to find so is there any questions about that?"

"Can you just give us the basics and we can find out the rest later?" Remus asked.

Death nodded, "Well first off, as Harry and Ginny may be able to tell you, eventually you will be able to feel your partners emotions but it's not just emotions. If something is physically wrong with your bonded partner then you will be able to feel it too, so if one of you is hurt, like a broken finger or a twisted limb, the other feel's it too, not as strongly mind you, but it'll still hurt a bit. Second is the mind-to-mind talking which you know stretches into the pack bond. The pack bond is created when a bunch of Lycan's establish themselves as a pack and they will be more comfortable transforming together rather than on their own. Third is that you will be able to sense how far away or how close you are to your partner if they are within 4 miles. And lastly, if you are separated from your soul mate for more than a week at over 5 miles, even if you talk mind-to-mind, as Lycan's your wolf side will slowly take over the human side and you won't get your human side back until you make skin-to-skin contact with your mate again, or fur-to-fur as you'll be stuck as wolves. For non-Lycans your mind will play tricks on you, if you're sitting in the dark you will see and hear things, if you are sitting with a light on your mind will tell you it's dark and again you will imagine things, that will continue until you make skin-to-skin or skin-to-fur contact." he finished.

"Basically... Don't get separated then?" James asked.

"Exactly, you wouldn't like it very much." Death nodded. "If that's all then Harry just click the stone back on the ring." Harry nodded and did as Death had said making him vanish.

"Well... that was... interesting." Harry said.

"At least we found out what we need to know." Hermione smiled, "And we know what to expect tomorrow night." she added.

"We have also been told that if were separated for too long then we go pretty much insane." Ginny put in.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm not going anywhere for a week without you." Harry grinned.

"Fair enough." she shrugged.

Just then Teddy spoke up, "Mummy, Mi'k." he requested.

Dora was confused so she looked at Andy and Harry for help.

"He means 'milk'." Andy smiled.

"I'll get it." Harry said going into the cooler room where the milk was kept.

"It's usually what he ask's for in the morning's but he's not asked for it since your return." Cissy explained.

Harry walked back into the room with a bottle filled with light brown liquid in his hand.

"It's chocolate milk. He refuses to drink normal milk." Harry told them handing the bottle to Teddy who immediately started drinking it quite fast. "Woah, Teddy slow down you'll make your tummy all sore." he slowed down obediently.

"I think he picked up Moony's chocolate addiction." Sirius laughed. Remus glared at him.

"You could be right. He won't drink other flavors of milk either." Ginny commented, "We tried him with banana and strawberry but he wouldn't drink them." she shrugged.

"Anyway that's the article done for now." Harry smiled, "We just need to set up a time for a public announcement. Sirius you won't be taking the Veritaserrum but the rest of you have a choice." they nodded in understanding.

"And I'm going to make sure Umbridge and Fudge are punished for their actions." Kingsley promised. "Do you know who the healer was?"

Sirius nodded, "It was a man called Emerick Grant. He was called in after the two others left so he didn't know who did it but he saw my condition." he explained.

"If he's willing we can get a statement from him on what your condition was." Kingsley nodded. "I'll also send an article about your innocence out with the one about the returnees'." he explained.

Harry suddenly groaned.

"What's up?" Charlie asked.

"I've just realised something. The fame is only going to get worse." he explained in a whiney voice.

"Oh yeah I can see the head lines, 'The-Boy-Who-Lived's Family Returns From The DEAD'." Ron said in an announcers tone making Harry groan again as everyone else laughed.

"You know I'm dragging you into this too don't you?" Harry pointed out to Ron and Ginny. "Especially because of Fred, so this is going to affect us all."

"I never thought of that." Ginny groaned, "Don't worry we still love having you back. But the fames just going to go higher and higher." she explained. "You haven't seen what it's like if one of us leaves the house un-disguised."

"We get swamped by reporters as soon as they recognise us." Hermione put in. "It's annoying."

"I told you that in 1st, 3rd and 6th year and you didn't believe me." Harry said.

"We believe you now." Ron pointed out, "It is annoying."

"Well you six have it worse than the rest of us." George said indicating both Trio's.

"You can say that again." Neville muttered. "Harry's fame is the worst though. Because he was already famous before, it just piled up when he killed Voldemort."

"Actually it started climbing again at the end of 5th year after 'The Battle of the Ministry' as the reporters creatively called it." Harry muttered, "It just exploded when I killed Voldmort once and for all."

"True enough." Arthur sighed. "To be honest I don't think it ever stopped growing except during your 5th year when it paused for a while."

"I think what happened was this... When you were first attacked and Voldemort fled you disappeared right after it and no one had seen or heard from you for 10 years when you re-joined the magical world, no one knew where you were so the mystery added to the fame and as you grew older your achievements and triumph's just kept growing and growing until you killed Voldemort a few months ago." Minerva explained.

"The not knowing where he was part is true. Albus never told me either." Remus muttered.

"He was afraid you'd try and kidnap him." Minerva sighed, "And he told me that he would tell you."

"I probably would have kidnapped him." Remus admitted, "Werewolf or not. Besides Harry would have come with me gladly." he smirked.

"He's got a point Minerva." Harry chuckled. "I would have went with him quite happily after finding out who he was and how he knew me."

Petunia frowned, "Wouldn't the wards have stopped that though?"

"Probably not because Remus didn't want to cause me harm." Harry said.

"They would have allowed anyone not wanting to cause harm to Harry passed." Dora nodded, "His advanced guard was able to get passed them with no problems."

"Advanced guard?" James asked.

"Yes. The Order of the Phoenix decided he needed more protection." Sirius chuckled. "Kingsley, Moony and Dora were on it along with some others. I was in hiding otherwise I would have been too." he explained.

"It was after Voldemort returned." Harry added, "I spent most of my time being followed around when I wasn't at school."

"Yes and most of the time it was me." Dora smirked. "If it wasn't me then it was Mundungus or another Order member."

"Your all terrible at hiding." Harry rolled his eyes, "I wasn't meant to be able to tell you were there but I almost always knew you were. The only one I couldn't tell was following me was Mundungus." he frowned.

"That's because he's good at hiding." Kingsley grumbled. "I've been trying to find him for weeks."

"I've asked Kreacher to look for him when he's not busy. I still dont know if it's a good idea or not." Harry said.

"Why?" Regulus asked.

"Kreacher hates Dung." Hermione smiled. "I believe the last time they met Mundungus was left with a concussion because Kreacher hit him over the head with a frying pan." she giggled.

"Yeah Kreacher really doesn't like him." Ron laughed.

"And I may have told Kreacher he can attack Dung all he likes as long as he doesn't kill him." Harry added. "I don't like Dung much anymore either." everybody chuckled at that.

"What did Dung do?" Sirius asked.

"He was caught stealing from me." Harry admitted. "Well technically you, it was old Black family heirlooms, but he stole something that was important as well."

"It caused us a lot of problems." Hermione added grimly.

"Was it, by any chance, a locket?" Regulus asked.

"Yep. The locket that was essential to bring about ol' Voldies downfall." Harry nodded.

"How was a locket essential to his downfall?" Lily asked confused.

"Well... You know how you came back... It was sort of a reward for us three getting rid of 6 objects that made Voldemort immortal..." Harry explained, "We can't reveal what they were right now, but I promise you will know soon enough."

"There's only 6 people in the world that know exactly what they are." Ron added, "Which is me, Hermione and Harry obviously, but Ginny, Minerva and Kingsley know too."

"It's true." Hermione sighed, "We've not gotten around to telling anyone else yet. We had a really tough and traumatizing year last year..." she trailed of and her eyes, as well as Harry and Ron's, went glassy. It was as though they were trapped in their memories.

"Even we don't know the full story." Kingsley said quietly, "They've been recovering after the war and we didn't want to force it out of them."

Ginny was trying to get Harry's attention, "Harry? Harry snap out of it." she said. He blinked twice before looking at her, "Your not there anymore your here, nice and safe." she soothed, he nodded slightly.

"Thanks Gin." he smiled, "OI! You two! Wakey wakey!" he clapped his hands in front of Ron and Hermione a few times. They both shook their head's.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Memories." Harry explained shaking his head, "We really need to stop getting sucked into them."

"We really do." Ron nodded.

"You can't help it." Minerva pointed out, "Anyone would be the same way."

"But we still need to stop doing it." Harry sighed, "It's not good to dwell on bad memories too long, they eventually turn against you. I'll be back in a minute." he went upstairs.

"What did he mean?" James asked, "That bad memories can turn against you?" he added.

"Well... He has a theory that if someone was to keep thinking about how unfair their life has been or is..." Hermione trailed off looking at Ron for help.

"Harry believe's it can make you resent everything good in the world... and eventually lure you to the Dark Arts and make you evil..." he sighed. "We don't know how he came up with it but we can't convince him otherwise. That's partly the reason Harry hates it when we get pulled into our memories of the war."

"I'm guessing you two don't believe it?" Remus asked.

"No we don't." Hermione admitted.

"Madame Pomfrey agrees that it's a bad thing but not about the it can make you evil part." Ginny added as Harry walked back in holding three vials filled with purple liquid.

"Here." Harry handed one to Ron and Hermione then all three of them opened and drank them. "Glad that's done for today. They taste awful." he made a face.

"Well we're on Madame Pomfrey's orders so we can't argue. It's better than being stuck in the hospital wing that's for sure." Ron chuckled.

"Oh well. They keep us sane and that's the main part." Hermione shrugged.

"What do they do?" Fred asked.

"They... It's hard to explain... But what we went through became a little too much for our minds to handle after the war when we had time to think about what exactly we had been through... The potion is one we have to keep taking for the rest of our lives unless we find a cure, it helps for PTSD." Hermione explained.

"What's PTSD?" Dudley asked.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Harry told him, "The three of us were told we all had it by Madame Pomfrey in May, those two on the 4th me later on. She gave us that potion and we have to keep taking it until she say's we can stop. It's for our safety and the safety of everyone around us."

"We don't want to be dangerous but it's a risk with the PTSD." Hermione explained. "We could end up attacking people to the point of killing and it would be out of our control." she shuddered, "So we take the potion and we're fine."

"How often do you have to take it?" Sirius asked.

"Just every two days." Harry smiled, "Or three depending on how stressed we are and right now it's every three day's. Will be until we get to the worst memories of our lives, then it'll probably be every day or every second day." he added with a dark chuckle.

"We usually take it in the morning's before we come downstairs but we forgot this morning and we were overdue for it." Ron added.

"Well it's a good thing Harry remembered then." Molly smiled softly.

"Yep. No attacking anyone innocent today." Harry grinned cheerfully, "Or ever if I have anything to do with it."

"Oh goodie. None of us would be able to stop you if you did attack. The Lycan strength and speed and your magic combined would be too hard to stop." George chuckled.

"You know you three are probably the strongest three in the wizarding world right now?" Kingsley asked.

"We know." Harry nodded, "Bet your glad we're on the light side because there's something you should know as well. My pover level reached 1000 a few night's ago."

Kingsley's eyes widened in shock. "Wow."

"That's what we said." James laughed.

"And probably how some of the power escaped yesterday when the room got all cold." Hermione mused. "Your not used to it yet so it will take a while to adjust."

Harry nodded, "Probably. Right onto more cheerful things, who want's to start the memories?" everyone nodded happily before going into the living room Dudley putting Cecelia in a cot that had been conjured by Harry and Dora sitting Teddy, who had finished his chocolate milk, on her knee.

* * *

><p>I should explain that I've had ideas for this story for at least a year and I'll be throwing completely random things in at times. Also, this wont be just one story. To fit all 7 books in, I'll be splitting it into a good 4 or possibly 5 or 6 stories all called Gift From Death but with Part 12/3 ect on them. This one, Part 1, will probably be about 70-80 chapters as I'll be putting the first Full Moon in it too and will contain the first 3 books. Part 2 will be books 4 and 5, Part 3 will be 6 and 7. I'll be doing another one, so Part 4, which will probably span over a few years. I'm considering doing a few one-shots for the story, but I'm not 100% sure if I will or not.

Happy reading and (hopefully) reviewing :-)


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 - Third Year (Part 1)

9th, August, 1998.

"Where are we starting Harry?" Hermione asked as they all took their seats. Harry was standing next to the Pensive, thinking.

"My 13th birthday I suppose. Prepare to meet Aunt Marge." he smirked.

"Oh no! Do you have to show her?" Petunia moaned.

"She was awful. I'm glad I don't have to deal with her anymore." Dudley added.

"Yes I do have to show her. It's important otherwise I wouldn't bother showing it. I agree with you Dud, she was awful." Harry explained.

"Who is she?" Lily asked, "The name sounds familiar."

"Vernon's sister." Petunia grimaced. "Horrible woman. I think you met her at my wedding."

"Oh. Her." James made a face, "She's lucky I didn't curse her."

"What did she do?" Ron asked curiously.

"She sat and insulted me and Lily." he explained. "Calling us freaks despite the fact she never knew about magic. At least I don't think she knew."

"She didn't. It was Vernon who told her that there was something wrong with Lily. I only found out he had told her something after Dudley was born." Petunia said, "Otherwise I would have corrected her. We may not have been on the best terms, Lily, but your still my little sister." she smiled. Lily smiled back.

"Right let's get started then." Harry smiled.

**Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table. They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley,**

"Spoiled brat." Sirius muttered.

"I can't actually argue with that. I was horrible." Dudley agreed.

**who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room.**

**Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually.**

They all looked a bit disgusted by this.

**Harry sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache.**

**Far from wishing Harry a happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed Harry enter the room,**

"I noticed. I thought it best to keep Vernon away from you. He said he was going to lock you in the cubbord for the week Marge was there." Petunia explained. "I convinced him not to but he wasn't happy."

"Well I'd probably prefer being locked in the cupboard than having to deal with her, but thanks anyway." Harry smiled.

**but Harry was far too used to this to care. He helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict.**

"That's you Sirius isn't it?" Regulus asked.

"Yup it's me." Sirius grinned.

**"... the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."**

**"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon,**

"Us either." Remus said looking at Sirius mock-critically.

Sirius glared at him.

**staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"**

**He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon.**

"He can't help it!" James protested. "It's the curse of the Potter hair! No one can tame it, beleive me." he muttered. "I gave up when I was 7 and my Dad only attempted to fix his every few weeks."

"I'm on the verge of giving up." Harry admitted.

"Good." James nodded, "It's impossible."

**Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle,**

"You don't look so good mate." James frowned.

"Azkaban does that to you." Sirius sighed.

**Harry felt very well groomed indeed.**

**The reporter had reappeared.**

**"The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today -"**

**"Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"**

"I doubt I would do that." Sirius said frowning.

"But you did. Just not the way people expected you to." Harry smirked.

**Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced,**

"Lovely description." Petunia muttered sarcastically.

**whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window. Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors.**

**"When will they learn," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"**

Sirius's eyes widened at this and the other Marauders started growling as well as a few other people.

**"Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner-beans.**

"Sorry I had to keep him in a good mood." Petunia blushed as many glared at her. "I didn't actually agree with him." Sirius nodded once, understanding she didn't think Vernon was right but that she had to agree anyway.

**Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."**

**Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump.**

**"Aunt Marge?" he blurted out. "Sh-she's not coming here, is she?"**

"Harry doesn't like his Aunt Marge?", Sirius asked sarcastically, "Why ever not?"

**Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her 'Aunt' all his life. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs,**

They all laughed a little at this.

**but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind.**

"Why?" James asked, his eyes narrowing.

**At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick**

They all let out a yell of anger at this.

Petunia frowned, "She did what?" she demanded.

"Kept whacking me with her walking stick." Harry said confused.

"Oh if I ever get my hands on her..." Petunia muttered, "I didn't know she did that."

**to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues. A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry.**

"Sirius has eaten dog biscuits before.", James commented.

Sirius shrugged, "There quite nice if you can turn into a dog."

**On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Harry had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favorite dog.**

"You should've kicked it Harry." Sirius said.

"He probably would have gotten locked in the cupboard." Lily said bitterly. Petunia cringed.

**Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree, and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight.**

**The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes.**

"Sorry Harry, but it was kind of funny." Dudley blushed.

**"Marge'll be here for a week,"**

"No!", Sirius shouted.

**Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject," he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry, "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."**

**Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment.**

Many in the room growled.

**"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."**

**"All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me."**

"You tell him Harry." Sirius cheered.

**"Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any - any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"**

**"I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth.**

"Go Harry!" the twins shouted.

**"And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys."**

"What!?" they shouted.

**"What?" Harry yelled.**

**"And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon.**

**Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit - it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

**"Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?"**

"Dudders?", James asked, laughing like the others.

"I hated that name, and the others. They were just ridiculous." Dudley muttered. "I don't know why I put up with some of them."

"Sorry Dudley." Petunia smiled, "They were mostly my fault."

**"No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry.**

**"Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow-tie."**

**Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder.**

**"See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen.**

**Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea. Abandoning his toast, he got quickly to his feet and followed Uncle Vernon to the front door.**

**Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat.**

**"I'm not taking you," he snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him.**

"Like he wants to come." James snorted.

**"Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly.**

"That was weird..." James said.

**"I want to ask you something."**

**Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously.**

**"Third years at Hog - at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry.**

**"So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door.**

**"I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush.**

**"And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.**

**"Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits..."**

**"St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice.**

"Harry must have inherited Lily's brain." Sirius said.

James glared at him.

**"Exactly," said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"**

**"You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised.**

"Don't you dare Dursley." Lily said, threateningly.

**But Harry stood his ground.**

**"Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," he said grimly.**

They all cheered at this.

**Uncle Vernon stopped, his fist still raised, his face an ugly puce.**

**"But if you sign my permission form," Harry went on quickly, "I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug - like I'm normal and everything."**

**Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, even if his teeth were bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple.**

**"Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."**

"Harry and behaving don't mix too well around people he hates." Ginny smirked. Harry grinned.

**He wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out.**

**Harry didn't return to the kitchen. He went back upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going to act like a real Muggle, he better start now. Slowly and sadly he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework. Then he went to Hedwig's cage. Errol seemed to have recovered; he and Hedwig were both asleep, heads under their wings. Harry sighed, then poked them both awake.**

**"Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Go with Errol. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that" - Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful - "it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione."**

**Ten minutes later, Errol and Hedwig (who had a note to Ron bound to her leg) soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, put the empty cage away inside the wardrobe.**

**But Harry didn't have long to brood. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry to come down and get ready to welcome their guest.**

**"Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall.**

"Like what?" James asked.

"It would never work." Harry added.

Petunia shrugged. "It was worth a try."

**Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.**

**All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path.**

**"Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry.**

"Say 'please'." Sirius said pleasantly.

Most laughed at Sirius.

**A feeling of great gloom in his stomach, Harry pulled the door open.**

**On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple-faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.**

**"Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy poo?"**

"What?" Lily asked, laughing.

**Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins.**

**Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek.**

**Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it,**

"Brat." Sirius muttered again.

**and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist.**

**"Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry as though he was a hat-stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunias bony cheekbone.**

**Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door.**

**"Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?"**

"Not that dog." Sirius moaned.

**"Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the hall with the suitcase. But Harry wasn't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could.**

**By the time he got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals.**

"Not animals. Just Marge's dog's, they were all vicious." Petunia said.

**"Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked.**

**"Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."**

**Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry for the first time.**

**"So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"Don't you say 'yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled. "It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on my doorstep."**

**Harry was bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys,**

"I'd noticed you were trying not to say anything." Petunia smiled.

**but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him. He forced his face into a painful smile.**

**"Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge.**

"He's trying not to shout at you." Remus protested.

**"I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you." She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?"**

**"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."**

**"I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.**

**"Er -"**

**Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back.**

**"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "All the time."**

**"Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often?"**

Remus and Sirius both growled and glared at the memory. Ron and Hermione were growling too.

**"Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."**

**Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes.**

**"I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case."**

**Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.**

**"Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"**

"Yes," Sirius said, "and that 'escaped prisoner' might have had to drop in for a little 'visit' if he knew what was going on."

**As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry to stay out of their way, which Harry was only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for his improvement.**

"That was annoying." Harry muttered.

"And she kept overruling me when I attempted to send you to your room." Petunia frowned, "I knew you were more likely to have a fit of magic if she kept it up."

**She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry, as though daring him to ask why he hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry such an unsatisfactory person.**

**"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it."**

"Harry's a far better person than she could ever be!" Lily exclaimed.

**Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger. Remember the form, he told himself. Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise -**

**Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine.**

**"It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup -"**

They all let out a roar of outrage.

"Lily's a lot better than you, you fat pig." James yelled.

"Don't forget stupid." Sirius added.

**At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.**

Most of the room looked at Harry who blushed.

"Did you just do accidental magic at 13?" Kingsley asked shocked.

"Um... Yeah..." Harry admitted, his blush deepening.

"Cool!" the twins grinned.

**"Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"**

**"Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip..."**

**But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry suspiciously, so he decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could.**

"Good idea." Remus said.

**Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he'd lost control and made something explode. He couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake - if he carried on like that, he'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.**

**Harry was still an underage wizard, and he was forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. His record wasn't exactly clean either. Only last summer he'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive,**

"That wasn't you though." Minerva said.

"It was something like 'You're the only wizard living in this area so it must have been you' it's unfair but hardly anything has ever been fair when it comes to me." Harry explained.

**Harry would face expulsion from Hogwarts.**

**He heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way.**

**Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare whenever Aunt Marge started on him. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give him a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal.**

Everyone in the room was glaring at memory.

**At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived.**

James, Sirius and the twins cheered as the others smiled.

**Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's faults; during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them a with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy.**

**"Can I tempt you, Marge?"**

**Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red.**

**"Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that... and a bit more... that's the ticket."**

**Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out.**

Lily laughed at her sister, who blushed.

**Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out.**

**"Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after..."**

"Isn't one enough?" Remus asked, staring pointedly at Sirius.

"We have one to many." James added.

Sirius glared at them as the others laughed.

"Padfoot's easy enough to control though." Lily smiled, "Very well-behaved."

"Unless you insult him, tease him, let him get bored or take his food away." Remus grinned, "Then he's a very bad dog."

Sirius pouted as the others laughed again.

**She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach. "Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon... Now, this one here -"**

**She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench. The Handbook, he thought quickly.**

"Your present was a life saver quite a few times that week." Harry told Hermione, who smiled at him.

**"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred."**

**Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers.**

**"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day."**

They all glared at the book.

**"Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" - she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel"**

"James is not a wastrel!" Remus, Sirius and Lily shouted.

"And Lily is not a bad egg." James and Petunia shouted.

**"and here's the result right in front of us."**

**Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. Grasp your broom firmly by the tail, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills.**

**"This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"**

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.**

"I was curious." Dudley defended himself as the others threw him odd looks.

**"He - didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed."**

"Petunia you know he was in Auror training why didn't you tell them that he was a policeman in training or something?" Lily asked.

"I forgot." she admitted.

**"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who -"**

**"He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life.**

"Uh oh." Ron muttered.

"It's never a good idea to anger Harry if you can help it." Hermione added.

"Why?" Regulus asked.

"He's got Lily's temper but James's attitude when he's angry." Remus informed them wincing.

"And a tendency to blow something up." Harry mused, "In this case, Marge Dursley." he grinned.

"You what!" Lily demanded.

"Blew her up." Petunia smirked, "You'll see."

**"MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on -"**

**"No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) -"**

"We didn't die in a car crash!" James roared.

"She's one to talk, how much had she had to drink?"' Lily said furiously.

"She was well over the line. We never had her to stay after that. It's one argument I won with Vernon, he wanted to have her over again but I said no." Petunia explained, "The house was always under my name and not his so he couldn't force me into it."

**"They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.**

**"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little -"**

**But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger - but the swelling didn't stop.**

"What's going on?" Regulus asked.

"Oh nothing." Harry said innocently, "I'm just making her explode." he grinned evilly. "It's accidental magic again. Just watch her before you comment."

**Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech - next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls - she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami...**

**"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.**

**"NOOOOOOO!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg.**

They cheered and urged the dog on.

**Harry tore from the dining room before anyone could stop him, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as he reached it. In seconds, he had heaved his trunk to the front door. He sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floorboard, and grabbed the pillowcase full of his books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to his trunk, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters.**

**"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"**

**But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon.**

"Hex him Harry!" the twins shouted.

"No, he'll get in trouble!" Lily said.

"He already blew up his aunt, and besides, he gets off." Ron shrugged.

"Yeah, because of Sirius." Hermione said.

"Glad I could help." Sirius grinned.

**"She deserved it," Harry said, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me."**

**He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door.**

**"I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough."**

**And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.**

"You ran away?" Cissy asked.

"If I didn't then I know I would have ended up doing more accidental magic." Harry explained. "I just couldn't stay there a minute longer."

"It makes sence but it was kind of stupid to do it." Arthur commented, "If you think about it, even though we know Sirius was never out to hurt you now, we didn't know that then and you could have been killed."

"Plus there was still Death Eater's that wanted you dead walking free." Sirius added, "Arthur's right even though I would never hurt you and I was never a Death Eater there was still a chance you could have been killed by some of the ones that were still free."

"Well it's a good thing you found me then." Harry smirked. "Otherwise I wouldn't have known about the Knight Bus."

"The what?" Amber asked.

"Knight Bus." Molly explained, "It's transport for a stranded witch or wizard."

"It's also awful, convenient, but awful." Arthur added. Those who had been on the bus before nodded.

"It features in the next memory." Harry added, "Give me a moment. Ron, Hermione follow me please." he got up and walked to the kitchen with the other two following him.

"Why do I suddenly have a feeling those three are planning something?" Minerva commented.

"Because knowing them they are usually up to something?" Ginny asked. "Your safe this time. Harry just want's advice on what to show us." she tapped her head to show how she knew.

"I hope they wont take too long. I'm interested to see how Harry discovered the Knight Bus." Charlie said. "He said it wasn't until he saw Sirius but that dosn't explain much."

"I'll give you a hint, I wasn't human when he saw me." Sirius smirked.

"Well this should be interesting. I've seen a lot of different reactions to your animal form." James chuckled. "Mainly people are afraid..."

"Because it looks like a grim." Remus cut in.

"Most of the time people just ignore me unless I'm in their face." Sirius frowned, "But for some reason Harry kept noticing where I was."

"Trust a 13-year-old to find something adults can't even figure out." Kingsley snorted.

"They didn't know I was a animagus but I think Harry knew I wasn't a normal dog." Sirius admitted.

"He thought you were the grim." Ginny supplied.

"Yeah I heard him telling Ron about that. He said he saw you a few times." Neville explained, "And he usually ended up in the hospital wing after he had."

"That would be because he kept distracting me." Harry said walking back in, he smiled looking amused as he saw a few people jump slightly. "Sorry didn't mean to startle you."

"Harry there's going to be worse scare's than that in the memories." Ron pointed out. "They don't need you or anyone else scaring them when we're not watching a memory."

Harry shrugged, "Fair enough." he admitted. "This year is actually one of the calmest, especially because everyone here knows Sirius is innocent."

"And the wizarding world will know by tomorrow." Kingsley added.

"Out of curiosity how many parts of this year are scary?" Dora asked.

"Um..." Hermione trailed off in thought. "About 3 or 4 point's are scary but not as bad as the basilisk." she said finaly. "Unless you were hiding bits Harry."

"I told you everything." he said raising his hands in defence, "Since when have I hid things from you?"

"5th year." Ron and Hermione chorused.

"6th as well." Ron added.

"What did I hide in 6th year?" Harry frowned.

Ron looked at Ginny.

"Oh come on Harry you know he's talking about the fact that you fancied Ginny and never told him." Hermione smirked.

"It's a good thing he didn't tell Ron. How did you know Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"I'll explain that to you later." she said.

"Right now let's continue." Harry said putting a memory in the pensieve.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53 - Third Year (Part 1.5)

9th, August, 1998.

"Right were starting up where we left off." Harry said. "Just skipping about 5 minutes of walking."

**Harry was several streets away before he collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging his trunk.**

"You could just levitate it." Sirius said, "You've already used plenty of magic, it wouldn't matter."

"I'd probably have gotten away with it too." Harry said, "But I was distracted before I could."

**He sat quite still, anger still surging through him, listening to the frantic thumping of his heart.**

**But after ten minutes alone in the dark street, a new emotion overtook him: panic.**

**Whichever way he looked at it, he had never been in a worse fix. He was stranded, quite alone, in the dark Muggle world, with absolutely nowhere to go. And the worst of it was, he had just done serious magic, which meant that he was almost certainly expelled from Hogwarts.**

"Don't worry, Harry. You wouldn't be." Minerva said. "Even the best witches and wizard's can't always control their emotions."

"I didn't know that at the time." Harry blushed, "I was panicking."

**He had broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, he was surprised Ministry of Magic representatives weren't swooping down on him where he sat.**

**Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent.**

**What, was going to happen to him? Would he be arrested,**

"They won't arrest somebody for underage magic." Lily said. Those who knew about Harry's 5th year looked at each other quickly before looking away.

**or would he simply be outlawed from the wizarding world? He thought of Ron and Hermione, and his heart sank even lower. Harry was sure that, criminal or not, Ron and Hermione would want to help him now, but they were both abroad, and with Hedwig gone, he had no means of contacting them.**

"Hedwig had left the day before." Ron commented. "I'm guessing she came to find you?" Harry nodded.

**He didn't have any Muggle money, either. There was a little wizard gold in the money bag at the bottom of his trunk, but the rest of the fortune his parents had left him**

James and Lily smiled.

**was stored in a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in London. He'd never be able to drag his trunk all the way to London. Unless...**

**He looked down at his wand, which he was still clutching in his hand. If he was already expelled (his heart was now thumping painfully fast), a bit more magic couldn't hurt. He had the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father - what if he bewitched the trunk to make it feather-light, tied it to his broomstick, covered himself in the cloak, and flew to London?**

"Might not be the best idea, Harry." James said. Harry nodded again.

**Then he could get the rest of his money out of his vault and... begin his life as an outcast.**

"Did you even know how to call the Knight Bus?" Sirius asked.

"No." Harry admitted, "I didn't even know it existed to be honest."

**It was a horrible prospect, but he couldn't sit on this wall forever, or he'd find himself trying to explain to Muggle police why he was out in the dead of night with a trunk full of spell books and a broomstick.**

**Harry opened his trunk again and pushed the contents aside, looking for the Invisibility Cloak - but before he had found it, he straightened up suddenly, looking around him once more.**

**A funny prickling on the back of his neck had made Harry feel he was being watched, but the street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses.**

**He bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenched on his wand. He had sensed rather than heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. Harry squinted at the black alleyway. If only it would move, then he'd know whether it was just a stray cat or - something else.**

**"Lumos," Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.**

"What could that be?" Fred asked.

James looked at Sirius for a second, "Turn into your Animagus form." he commanded.

Sirius obliged. James then waved his hand, closing the curtains, making the room dark. After that, he muttered, "Lumos." making a ball of light appear in his hand.

He pointed it at the shaggy dog.

"It was Padfoot then." Remus said grinning at the eyes that reflected the light from James's hand.

James waved his free hand and the lights turned on again and opened the curtains before muttering, "Nox."

"Of course it was me." Sirius smiled, "Harry's perfectly safe."

**Harry stepped backward. His legs hit his trunk and he tripped. His wand flew out of his hand as he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed, hard, in the gutter.**

**There was a deafening BANG, and Harry threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light...**

**With a yell, he rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. They belonged, as Harry saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled The Knight Bus.**

**For a split second, Harry wondered if he had been knocked silly by his fall.**

They all laughed at this.

**Then a conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night.**

**"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve -"**

**The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Harry, who was still sitting on the ground. Harry snatched up his wand again and scrambled to his feet. Close up, he saw that Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than he was, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples.**

"What a lovely description of Stan." Sirius said.

**"What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.**

**"Fell over," said Harry.**

**"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan.**

"He didn't do it on purpose." James scoffed.

**"I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry, annoyed. One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the hand he had thrown out to break his fall was bleeding. He suddenly remembered why he had fallen over and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.**

**"'Choo lookin' at?" said Stan.**

**"There was a big black thing," said Harry, pointing uncertainly into the gap. "Like a dog... but massive..."**

"Hey! I am a dog!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I didn't know that and it was dark I couldn't see you properly." Harry pouted. "Although if I had seen you even if I thought you were just a dog..."

"Then Harry would have cursed you." Ron finished for him. Harry nodded.

**He looked around at Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. With a feeling of unease, Harry saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly.**

**"Nothing," said Harry quickly, flattening his hair over his scar. If the Ministry of Magic was looking for him, he didn't want to make it too easy for them.**

**"Woss your name?" Stan persisted.**

**"Neville Longbottom,"**

Neville raised an eyebrow at Harry while everyone else chuckled or giggled.

"Sorry Nev. I didn't want to be caught and your name was the first that popped into my head." Harry admitted sheepishly. Neville nodded accepting the explanation and apology.

**said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head. "So - so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes anywhere?"**

**"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, 'long it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. Ere," he said, looking suspicious again, "you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"**

**"Yes," said Harry quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"**

**"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for fifteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."**

**Harry rummaged once more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand. He and Stan then lifted his trunk, with Hedwig's cage balanced on top, up the steps of the bus.**

**There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep.**

**"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern."**

**Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who nervously flattened his bangs again and sat down on his bed.**

**"Take'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.**

**There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus.**

"Yeah, people with motion sickness should not ride the Knight Bus." Sirius said.

"Thank you, oh wise one, for that obvious piece of advice." James said sarcastically.

**Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment.**

**"This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"**

**"Ar," said Ernie.**

**"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.**

**"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."**

**"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ern. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."**

**Stan passed Harry's bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous. Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.**

**Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak.**

**"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps. Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.**

**Harry wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he had been traveling on a bus that didn't keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time.**

**His stomach churned as he fell back to wondering what was going to happen to him, and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet.**

They all laughed again.

"Unfortunatley we had." Dudley chuckled.

"Acidental magic reversal squad?" Lily asked. Petunia nodded.

**Stan had unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. He looked strangely familiar.**

"It's me isn't it?" Sirius said.

Harry nodded.

**"That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!"**

**Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled.**

**"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?"**

**He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry.**

**"You oughta read the papers more, Neville."**

"I saw that article. No one is going to like this." Sirius sighed.

**Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read:**

**BLACK STILL AT LARGE**

**Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.**

**"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."**

**Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.**

**"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad."**

"Sure is." James and Remus said cheerfully.

Sirius glared at them.

**"He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it - who'd believe him if he did?"**

**While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.**

"Which, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, would have said it was impossible. Still it wasn't me, no one even checked my wand." Sirius grumbled.

"Which should've happened." Kingsley sighed, "I'd wondered why nobody checked it, I was still a trainee at that time." he explained, "I asked my mentor but he didn't know."

**Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.**

"And now I look like a vampire apparently." Sirius said looking amusedly at his godson who smirked.

**"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan,**

"Very." James said, looking at Sirius, who huffed.

**who had been watching Harry read.**

**"He murdered thirteen people?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with one curse?"**

**"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"**

"Even Sirius isn't stupid enough to murder people near a bunch of witnesses." James said.

"Exactly." Sirius said, but then realizing James had called him stupid said, "Hey!" making everyone laugh again.

**"Ar," said Ern darkly.**

**Stan swiveled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at Harry.**

**"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.**

"I'd never support Voldemort!" Sirius shouted.

**"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.**

**Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus.**

"It's just a name." Remus said.

"Yes and what I don't get is that he was gone then but people couldn't say his name and now that he's gone for good a lot more people can say it." Harry frowned.

"Because people saw him die this time." Kingsley said, "Last time it was only you who was there and survived, Voldemort had just vanished."

"And I didn't know what had happened because I didn't understand it even if I can remember it. And the only thing anyone ever found of him was his robes and wand because that's all that was left of him after the explosion." Harry nodded.

"Explosion?" Lily frowned.

"Yup, very big explosion." Harry nodded, "Destroyed almost all the nursery, half the room doesn't have a roof and part of the wall is missing." he explained, "All the windows are gone too."

"How'd you know that?" James asked suspiciously.

"We visited the house in December." Hermione told him. "Harry's right, the house is a wreck."

"And I remember the attack quite clearly, until Voldemort hit me with the Killing curse." Harry shrugged.

James and Lily frowned as did most of the others.

**"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"**

**"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I - I forgot -"**

**"Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast..."**

**"So - so Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically.**

"No." Sirius said.

**"Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say... anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo" - Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again -**

"You know that dosn't help right?" Dora asked. He shrugged.

**"all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over."**

"What?!" Sirius asked. "I would never join the dark side!"

"Sirius we know you wouldn't, now quit interrupting." Regulus said.

"And if I don't." he challenged.

"Then your getting silenced with that charm I know you cant break." Remus growled. Sirius obediently fell quiet.

**"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Laughed,"**

"Sirius!" Lily and James shouted.

"What?" he replied innocently.

"How could you laugh?" Lily demanded.

"Wait. Let me guess... You were laughing because Wormtail got one up on you?" James asked. Sirius nodded sadly.

**said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"**

**"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you... after what he did..."**

**"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?"**

**"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.**

"That wasn't very convincing." Molly commented.

"It was Fudge who came up with it." Kingsley sighed. "Of course it wouldn't be convincing."

**"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"**

**Ernie suddenly shivered. "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."**

"I think they do that to everyone." Hermione shivered.

**Stan put the paper away reluctantly, and Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time.**

**"'Ear about that 'Arry Potter? Blew up 'is aunt! We 'ad 'im 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'E was tryin' to run for it…"**

**He, Harry, had broken wizard law just like Sirius Black.**

"I think there's a difference between supposedly killing thirteen people and inflating one." Sirius said bitterly.

**Was inflating Aunt Marge bad enough to land him in Azkaban?**

"Of course not, he didn't do it on purpose." Remus said.

"Well it was kind of on purpose. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold onto my magic, but I stayed in the room anyway and was foucused on Marge even if I didn't realise what I was doing at the time." Harry admitted.

"Still, you didn't tell your magic what to do specifically." Arthur said, "Making it an accident. And she deserved it anyway."

**Harry didn't know anything about the wizard prison, though everyone he'd ever heard speak of it did so in the same fearful tone. Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had spent two months there only last year.**

**Harry wouldn't soon forget the look of terror on Hagrid's face when he had been told where he was going, and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew.**

"Everybody is afraid of Azkaban." Andy said.

"I'm not anymore." Sirius admitted quietly, "I'm only afraid of going back. And the guards." Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

**The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesey to Aberdeen. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.**

**Finally, Harry was the only passenger left.**

**"Right then, Neville," said Stan, clapping his hands, "whereabouts in London?"**

**"Diagon Alley," said Harry.**

**"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then."**

**BANG.**

**They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. The sky was getting a little lighter. He would lie low for a couple of hours, go to Gringotts the moment it opened, then set off - where, he didn't know.**

**Ernie slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.**

**"Thanks," Harry said to Ernie.**

**He jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the pavement.**

**"Well," said Harry. "Bye then!"**

**But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"There you are, Harry," said a voice.**

"Who's that?" Dora asked.

**Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"**

**Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach - he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.**

"Great." the twins said sarcastically.

**Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.**

**"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.**

**Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.**

**"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter."**

**"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully.**

"No he didn't." Hermione giggled.

**"Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"**

**"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now..."**

**Fudge increased the pressure on Harry's shoulder, and Harry found himself being steered inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord.**

**"You've got him, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"**

**"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of Harry.**

**There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ern appeared, carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage and looking around excitedly.**

They all laughed.

**"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan, beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder.**

**"And a private parlor, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly.**

**"Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ern as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar.**

**"Bye, Neville!" called Stan.**

"He's not me!" Neville said, through his laughter.

**Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.**

**"Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire.**

**Harry sat down, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry.**

**"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic."**

**Harry already knew this, of course; he had seen Fudge once before, but as he had been wearing his father's Invisibility Cloak at the time, Fudge wasn't to know that.**

"Yeah, best not tell him about the cloak." James grinned.

**Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.**

**"Well, Harry," said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think... but you're safe, and that's what matters."**

**Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry.**

**"Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then... You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."**

"Why couldn't they bring her outside and let her fly away?" Sirius whined.

"It would break the code of secrecy if anyone saw her." Kingsley pointed out.

**Fudge smiled at Harry over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favorite nephew. Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again.**

**"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."**

**Harry unstuck his throat.**

**"I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."**

**"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other - er - very deep down."**

**It didn't occur to Harry to put Fudge right. He was still waiting to hear what was going to happen to him now.**

**"So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron and..."**

**"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"**

"Don't ask for one Harry!" Ron yelled.

**Fudge blinked. "Punishment?"**

**"I broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"**

**"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"**

**But this didn't tally at all with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.**

**"Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge, frowning. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"**

**Unless Harry's eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.**

Sirius snickered.

**"Circumstances change, Harry... We have to take into account... in the present climate... Surely you don't want to be expelled?"**

**"Of course I don't," said Harry.**

**"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge.**

"Exactly." James said.

**"Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."**

**Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry stared after him. There was something extremely odd going on.**

"I think so too Harry." Sirius said. "And somehow I think it's because of me."

**Why had Fudge been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, if not to punish him for what he'd done? And now Harry came to think of it, surely it wasn't usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic?**

**Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.**

**"Room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand... I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."**

**"Okay," said Harry slowly, "but why?"**

**"Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no... best we know where you are... I mean..."**

**Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak.**

**"Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know..."**

**"Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked.**

"This ought to be interesting." Sirius said.

**Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak.**

They all laughed.

**"What's that? Oh, you've heard - well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed... and they are angrier than I've ever seen them."**

**Fudge shuddered slightly.**

So did Sirius and the rest of the room.

**"So, I'll say good-bye."**

**He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea.**

**"Er - Minister? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.**

**"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could -?"**

**Fudge was looking uncomfortable.**

**"Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian -"**

"He wouldn't anyway, because of Sirius." Remus said.

**"But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission..."**

**"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly.**

**"Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't... yes... well, I'll be off."**

"Hah! So it is because I'm on the loose and they don't want me to find you!" Sirius laughed, "Glad I could get you out of trouble." Harry grinned at him.

**"Enjoy your stay, Harry."**

**And with a last smile and shake of Harry's hand, Fudge left the room. Tom now moved forward, beaming at Harry.**

**"If you'll follow me, Mr. Potter," he said, "I've already taken your things up..."**

**Harry followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him.**

**Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe -**

**"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.**

"Hedwig's a smart owl." Dora commented.

"I think she could tell where I was at all times." Harry explained. "She could always find me no matter where I was and she always knew when I needed her."

**The snowy owl clicked her beak and fluttered down onto Harry's arm.**

**"Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask."**

**He gave another bow and left.**

**Harry sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig. The sky outside the window was changing rapidly from deep, velvety blue to cold, steely gray and then, slowly, to pink shot with gold. Harry could hardly believe that he'd left Privet Drive only a few hours ago, that he wasn't expelled, and that he was now facing three completely Dursley-free weeks.**

"It is pretty amazing isn't it?", Lily said.

"Yeah, that a short time ago Marge was insulting us and now Harry's at the Leaky Cauldron." James said.

**"It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," he yawned.**

They all laughed, "Definitely." the twins agreed.

**And without even removing his glasses, he slumped back onto his pillows and fell asleep.**

"So that's how you ended up in the Leaky Cauldron?" Molly asked.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I thought you were told how I was there instead of Privet Drive?"

"Oh we were told but we never got told exactly how you got there." Arthur explained, "We thought that the ministry had found you before you got there."

"Nope." Harry grinned. "I don't think they could have found me as fast as that. I just happened to go exactly where the expected me to go."

"There was talk about sending a search team out for you." Dora giggled. "I was still just a trainee at that time and even I knew you would turn up eventually."

"Yes, we were all so predictable when we were 13 but now, if we wanted to, we could make it so no one could find us." Hermione smirked.

"Like we did during the war. We had to hide and no one knew where we were..." Ron trailed off.

"And not even the best Aurors and search teams could find them. It made us all feel stupid." Kingsley chuckled.

"Kind of like how you felt stupid before you found out the truth about me?" Sirius asked innocently.

"Yes, exactly like that." Kingsley nodded, "Although to be honest it was better when I knew where you were and could tell people you were in Canada." he laughed.

"Which is why we're glad Kingsley had Sirius's case." Minerva smiled.

"Amen to that." most of the room chuckled.

"What's next Harry?" Ron asked.

"Um... this one." he replied smirking while changing the memory.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 - Third Year (Part 2)

9th, August, 1998.

"This is the next morning." Harry informed them.

**It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom. Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied.**

"Technically we weren't stopping you." Petunia frowned, "You could have easily done what you wanted as long as Vernon wasn't there."

"Except for getting up in the mornings you mean, it was always you that woke me up." Harry pouted.

"He's right Mum, you always got the both of us up in the morning even if you left me a little longer." Dudley put in.

"I wasn't about to let you sleep all day." Petunia huffed.

"Who said we would?" Harry inquired, "I was usually up before you anyway when I was at Privet Drive, at least after my 3rd year." he shrugged.

"I'd noticed that." she nodded, "How come?"

He shrugged again, "No idea, I can never sleep past 7 unless I've taken Dreamless Sleep, even with the potion I'm usually still up before 8 though."

"Or if you've been up late." Ron put in, "Then you sleep longer."

"True." he nodded.

**He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.**

**Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava.**

The women all looked disgusted, even a few of the men looked a little sick.

**After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall.**

**Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ("It's a lunascope, old boy - no more messing around with moon charts, see?")**

"We could have used one of those." James said, "Probably easier to predict full moons on a lunascope."

"True but we didn't need one when I could tell you just fine when a full moon was coming." Remus said.

"Like how there's one tomorrow night?" Ginny suggested, Remus nodded.

**or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban").**

Sirius huffed.

**Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour.**

"Florean is a great man." Arthur smiled.

**Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spell books, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point). He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.**

**Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life.**

**"Just come out - prototype -" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.**

**"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm.**

**"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favorites for the World Cup!"**

**A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom:**

**THE FIREBOLT**

**THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST.**

"Brilliant!" James shouted.

**Price on request... Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life - but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.**

"I would too." James smiled.

**There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.**

"Divination is horrible." Sirius muttered.

"It is." Harry agreed, "Wish I had known before I picked it."

"Me too." Ron nodded, "But making some stuff up was fun."

"Like when you predicted something that had already happened?" Hermione scoffed.

"Most of our adventures were so unbelievable that they worked." Harry pointed out. "I ended up saying I'd be bitten by a massive spider and died. With Trelawney as the teacher the more depressing, the better."

**Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.**

**Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. The Monster Book of Monsters was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet.**

**As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.**

**"Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "I need -"**

**"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.**

**"Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those."**

"The manager's going to be happy about that." Minerva chuckled.

**"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning -"**

**A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.**

**"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility - cost a fortune, and we never found them... Well... is there anything else I can help you with?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "I need Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky."**

**"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul.**

**"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black-bound book. "Unfogging the Future. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods - palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails."**

**But Harry wasn't listening. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: Death Omens**

Sirius let out a moan, "The grim's on the cover, isn't it?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Regulus asked.

"My Animagus resembles the grim remember."

"Oh yeah..."

**- What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming.**

**"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death."**

**But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar...**

**The manager pressed Unfogging the Future into Harry's hands.**

**"Anything else?" he said.**

**"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. "Er - I need Intermediate Transfiguration and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."**

**Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people.**

**He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin.**

**"It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent... It was probably just a stray dog..."**

"Or an Animagus." Sirius suggested.

"Or a stupid idiot who escaped prison." Harry smirked.

"Yeah... Hey!" Siruis complained as the other's laughed, "That's not fair. You weren't this cheeky last time I saw you."

"I had a murderer, a real one, after me at that time." Harry retorted, "I may still have murderers after me but old Voldie is gone for good and Death Eater's are easier to handle."

"Fair enough." Sirius grumbled.

**He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat**

**"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a wheezy voice.**

James laughed and messed up his own hair even more, "It's true."

**As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were goggling at the Firebolt; he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his book list and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic.**

"I did lose my book list." Neville nodded, "Or rather I left it at home." he blushed. "I always forget something."

"Your better at remembering now though." Luna smiled.

**Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned.**

**"Harry! HARRY!"**

**They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor - Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.**

**"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and -"**

**"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"**

**"Dad," said Ron simply.**

**Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge.**

**"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice.**

**"I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just - lost control."**

**"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."**

"Now that I know what she said, she deserved it." Hermione grinned.

**"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"**

**"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me."**

They all laughed and Sirius said, "Sounds like what Prongs's parents would do." James nodded in agreement.

**"Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"**

**Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."**

**"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"**

**"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books -" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."**

They all laughed again.

**"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.**

**"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I," said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies -"**

"You can't take all those classes, there isn't enough time." Remus said looking confused.

"What do the three of us specialise in again?" Ron asked looking confusedly at the other two that made up the Golden Trio.

"Doing the impossible!" Harry said, laughing.

"And the extraordinary!" Hermione giggled.

"As well as being annoyingly secretive." Ginny chuckled.

"I do believe she's right." Luna said, "You three are more secretive than Welsh fairies."

"I hadn't noticed, did either of you two notice?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione shook their heads.

"I think it's just a habit." Harry frowned, "Either that or we just like annoying people."

"It's a mixture. We like annoying people by not telling them things out of habit." Hermione smiled, "It began with something we didn't want anyone to find out then it became a matter of who needed to know what we knew."

"Yes, I think that's what must have happened. It didn't help that there wasn't a lot of adults we could trust around after 4th year." Harry frowned.

"We couldn't trust a lot of people so we kept to ourselves more." Ron agreed. "We only trusted people in the Order or those on the light side that we knew well enough."

"And most of the DA." Hermione added, "Like Luna and Neville." she smiled at the two mentioned who smiled back.

"What's the DA?" Lily asked.

"We will explain after this memory." Harry told the people who didn't know.

**"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"**

"A good point." James nodded.

**"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.**

**"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them.**

**"I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."**

**"How about a nice book?" said Ron innocently.**

**"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol -"**

**"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."**

**Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.**

"Good." Sirius growled with the others that knew who Scabbers really was.

**"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."**

**So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.**

**There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages.**

**A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.**

**The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter.**

**"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."**

**"Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.**

**Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took.**

**Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.**

**"Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?"**

**"Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."**

**"What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.**

**"Er -" The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly.**

**"He's been through the mill, this one," she said.**

**"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively.**

**"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these -"**

**She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again.**

"Show-offs." Sirius muttered.

**Ron muttered, "Show-offs."**

"Weird..." Sirius trailed of as everyone else snickered or giggled.

**"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.**

**"Okay," said Ron. "How much - OUCH!"**

**Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.**

**"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.**

**"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.**

**It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head.**

**"What was that?"**

**"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger," said Harry.**

"I'm going to go with a big cat." James said, smiling.

**"Where's Hermione?"**

**"Probably getting her owl."**

**They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.**

**"You bought that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.**

**"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.**

**That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry. The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms.**

**"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.**

**"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.**

"He probably didn't." Sirius muttered. "He was probably after the rat."

**"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"**

**"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."**

**"Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron.**

**They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the Daily Prophet.**

**"Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?"**

**"Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping.**

**Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.**

**"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked.**

**"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."**

"That's because I'm good at hiding." Sirius smirked. "That and no one knew about the Animagus thing."

**"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money -"**

**"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."**

"Nope." Sirius said smirking.

**At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny.**

**Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered "Hello" without looking at him. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you."**

**"Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh.**

**"I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor.**

They all laughed.

"Fred and George will have fun with this." James said.

"We did." the twins grinned.

"They did." Percy huffed, "Almost all week."

"Serves you right for being a prat." Fred smirked.

"Not that you're a prat now, but you were then and you were our favourite person to annoy besides Ron." George grinned.

**"Very well, thanks -"**

**"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy -"**

**"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."**

"I did deserve it." Percy smiled. "I know I was being a prat."

"Yes but you're not a prat now, so that's good." George smiled. Fred looked confused. "I'll explain what happened later o' twin of mine." he added.

"You better because I have no idea what your on about." Fred replied, he frowned, "I think that's a first." he commented, "Usually we know exactly what the other means."

"Yes, but your still in the process of catching up." George told him, "You've missed a bit in the 3 months you've not been here."

"Couldnt exactly help it." Fred pouted.

"I know that. You still have catching up to do though." George shrugged.

**Percy scowled.**

**"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Mum!" said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand, too. "How really corking to see you -"**

**"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.**

**"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.**

**"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."**

**"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."**

"Exactly." James said quietly, so only Sirius would hear him.

Remus heard him anyway with his Lycan senses but ignored him.

**Ginny giggled.**

**"You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.**

"Really Mum. You should know I don't listen to most things they say." Ginny laughed. "Not just the twins either."

"The only one she's ever really listened to is Bill." Charlie added, "Or occasionally me." Ginny nodded in agreement to this.

"Well that makes us feel loved." Fred said sarcastically.

**"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner..."**

**He disappeared and George heaved a sigh.**

**"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But Mum spotted us."**

"Hey!" Percy shouted.

"Sorry Perce." the twins chuckled.

**Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses.**

**"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.**

**"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.**

**Everyone looked up at him.**

**"Why?" said Percy curiously.**

**"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them -"**

**"- for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.**

Sirius was going to say something but he noticed James watching him and decided against it.

**Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.**

**"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.**

**"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "and as I work there, they're doing me a favor..."**

**His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Wesley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure.**

"It was because of Harry wasn't it?" Regulus asked.

"Yes, it was." Arthur admitted.

"You just didn't want to tell me the reason." Harry smiled.

**"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground... You are all packed, aren't you?"**

**"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."**

"Good job Ron." James said, smiling.

"Thank you." Ron blushed.

**"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.**

**After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on.**

**The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting.**

**"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing -"**

**"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.**

**"What's up?" said Harry.**

**"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry.**

"Fred and George." they all said automatically, except the twins who had put on innocent faces no one believed.

**"So's Scabbers's Rat Tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar -"**

**"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.**

**"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs.**

**Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door.**

**"... makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and -"**

"You heard us?" Molly asked. Harry nodded sheepishly. "I told you we should have put wards on the room Arthur."

"Yes dear." he sighed.

"If it's any help I would have found out sooner or later." Harry smiled.

**"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly.**

"Why do I have a feeling you're talking about me?" Sirius asked.

"Because we were." Arthur admitted sheepishly.

**"Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happy not knowing!"**

**"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves - they've even ended up in the Forbidden Forest! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him."**

**"But he's not dead, he's fine, so what's the point -"**

**"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad,"**

"He is!" James exclaimed, "Has been since I met him."

"If I'm mad then your mad too." Sirius growled.

"Your both mad so get over it." Lily sighed.

**"and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after -"**

**"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."**

"I'm not after Harry." Sirius said cheerfully.

**"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."**

"That's a good point. Because Sirius did break into Hogwarts." Remus smirked. "A few times actually."

**"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry -"**

**There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.**

**"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead."**

"I do not!" Sirius shouted angrily.

"We know that now." Arthur soothed. "At the time we didn't know but sorry anyway." Sirius still looked angry but nodded anyway.

**"If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that..."**

"Nope. I'm glad Voldemort was gone, if only for a little while." Sirius frowned. "And the only thing I actually thought about was how I was going to prove my innocence."

**There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more.**

**"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's Headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"**

**"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds."**

"There was Dementors at Hogwarts?" Lily asked. Harry, Minerva, Remus, Ron, Hermioine and Sirius nodded sadly.

"Only at the gates. They weren't allowed on the grounds." Minerva explained.

**"He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."**

**"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"**

**"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that... but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."**

**"If they save Harry -"**

**"- then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up..."**

**Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.**

**The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle.**

**Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.**

**"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it."**

**The badge now read Bighead Boy.**

They all laughed a little at this but were still thinking about the previous conversation.

**Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed.**

**So Sirius Black was after him.**

"Am not." Sirius said childishly.

**This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train.**

**Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared. Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man,**

Sirius growled.

**would be just as frightened of him?**

**And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote.**

**No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed.**

**He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless...**

"True, but most people weren't aware of what had happened any of the times you escaped him." Arthur pointed out.

"We could never get Ron or Ginny to talk about it if they knew anything." Molly added, frowning.

"Most of the times we didn't know exactly what happened." Ron said.

"Even less for me." Ginny added.

"Usually it's only the important bits Harry tells us." Hermione agreed. "And Ginny was only told if she needed to know and if it wouldn't put her in danger. Ron and I never told anyone anything unless Harry said it was fine."

"I didn't have a problem with Ginny knowing I thought you had told her 'Mione." Harry admitted. "Obviously you wouldn't if I said it had to stay between us." he added hastily.

"I was able to figure most of it out." Ginny smiled, "And some things I'm happier not knowing."

Harry smiled at her. "Well everyone is getting the whole story about everything now. Nothing is getting edited but we will be skipping a few unimportant bits." he admitted.

**Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind. What to do when you know the worst is coming...**

**"I'm not going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.**

**"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.**

"It's a good attitude to have." Kingsley agreed. Just after he had spoken something silvery shot into the room and stopped in front of him before forming itself into a silver lion Patronus that opened it's mouth and began to speak.

"Minister, we have a situation at the ministry. It's nothing bad, depending on your point of view, but we need your help." the Patronus vanished.

"I have to go, I'll be back as soon as I can. Goodbye." Kingsley left through the floo.

"I wonder what's happened?" Charlie frowned.

"No idea." Draco said, "I wonder if it's anything to do with the Death Eaters on the loose?"

"Probably not, the message said it was nothing bad depending on your point of view, so it can't be Death Eater's that would just be bad on the whole." Cissy reasoned.

Harry was frowning, "Did anyone else think the voice sounded nervous and scared?" he asked.

"Most people sound like that when the interrupt the Minister of Magic when he's doing something." Minerva chuckled. "I know the voice, it was one of the Aurors, Wilde, I think."

"I recognised the voice too." Dora nodded. "Auror Jordan Wilde, he was a few levels higher than me. He's always sounded like that since he was kidnapped when he was on a mission, he got away about 3 days after but he's never been the same since."

"It's happened to a few Aurors." Minerva sighed, "Most were in Gryffindor and are nothing like what they used to be in school, they're a paranoid bunch."

"Oh part of that was Mad-Eye." Dora smiled. "He kept telling everyone that there's always someone out to kill them so when there was an attack they fought to their best but were always paranoid after the first attack they experience." she explained.

"And yet you're not overly paranoid." Harry chuckled, "That was the end of that memory so how about we have lunch?" everyone agreed and went into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	55. Chapter 55

Warning: Mentions rape (no detail obviously)

* * *

><p>Chapter 55 - The Request.<p>

9th, August, 1998.

As everyone was sitting eating lunch Lily decided to ask Harry what he had promised to explain earlier that day.

"Harry? What is the DA?"

"Well..." Harry paused, "Basically it's... Hermione can you explain? I honestly dont know where to start."

"The DA stand's for Dumbledore's Army." Hermione started. "In our 5th year we had a horrible defence teacher who wouldn't let us do magic in class. So Ron and I convinced Harry to teach a bunch of student's."

"I agreed, albeit reluctantly, and became the leader of the DA and taught them everything I knew about defence, the practical stuff at least. As the year went on Hermione would find more curses and hexes that the three of us would learn and then I would teach it to the rest of the DA." Harry put in.

"Most of the stuff was really useful, like Patronuses and shield spell's and things we could use in a duel." Ron added. "The point of it was so that everyone could defend themselves properly and would be partly prepared for the war that could have started at anytime."

"But it ended up being so much more." Neville smiled. "It was being part of the DA that helped improve my magic."

"All you needed was confidence Nev." Ginny smiled. "A little confidence was all it took for you to get better and a little determination to get things right."

"After the final battle where Harry killed Voldemort, or losses were heavy but the DA was almost completely intact." Minerva smiled. "Out of those who had stayed to fight..."

"Which was everyone who was of age except for one who was of age but left and three people under-age." Hermione cut in. "So about 27 people."

"No it was about 39." Luna corrected, "We were recruiting while you were away, even if they weren't official or original members and not all of them were of age either. Like Astoria, she helped even if she wasn't an official member on the list."

Astoria nodded. "There was me and 3 other Slytherins. We never officially joined, just in case we were caught."

"Yes, about that amount of the DA stayed to fight. The DA only lost two people." Minerva frowned, "One was Fred," the mentioned twin nodded once, "the other was Colin Creevey, he wasn't of age, he had snuck back to fight and was killed."

"Poor Colin." Fred said sadly, "He was alright, if a little excitable."

"How many did the Order lose that night?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"20 people." Minerva sighed. "Including you and Dora obviously. All together there was 52 deaths on the light side."

"And 50 on the dark side." Draco added, wincing, before anyone could ask. "So 153 deaths all together that night."

"That only makes 152 though." Lily pointed out.

"The extra number will be explained when we get there." Harry said glaring at Draco who looked apologetic.

"That's still a lot of deaths." Andy sighed. "And that was only that night, Kingsley is still trying to count how many people died during the war as a whole, so far he's up to 125 I think."

"No he found out about a few more." Minerva said. "I don't know how many though."

"Harry?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Your not forgetting what we said we'd do once everything was almost back to normal are you?"

"Um..." Harry looked confused for a moment before realisation dawned on his face, "Oh yeah we said we'd get the DA together for a remembrance meeting."

"We can work that out later." Hermione pointed out, "They don't know we're going to so there's no rush." the two boys nodded in agreement.

Just as everyone had finished eating and the table had been cleared Kingsley appeared from the living room, having just floo'd in, and everyone noticed he looked worried.

"Hello everyone." he said, greetings were called back, "Harry, Ginny can I have a word please." the two nodded and followed him into the living room where he set up privacy charms around them.

"What's up Kingsley? You look worried." Harry asked.

"I am worried. I have something I need to ask the two of you."

"Fire away." Ginny said.

"Well I'm not quite sure how to put this... When I was called away I went to the Ministry and I was told to go to St. Mungo's and I was told something shocking from the staff that worked there." he explained, "I was wondering if the two of you could help with a little problem we have."

Harry and Ginny shared a look, "It depend's, what kind of help?" Harry finally asked.

"Well this morning at around 11am a call came into St. Mungos from a young couple about a woman who was heavily pregnant and in labour so naturally a Healer went to the house and transported the woman to the maternity ward, the woman had twins, she never gave her name but there was a disturbing bit of news that she told the healer..." Kingsley paused.

"What is it? Because I have a bad feeling about this." Ginny said.

"The woman said that she was raped and that - that Voldemort was the father." he said slowly.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other in shock. "Is she telling the truth?" Harry demanded.

Kingsley nodded sadly, "Yes she said the same thing under Veritaserrum, we had to check. Our main problem is that she died not long after that and we don't want to put the babies in an orphanage because of how their father turned out."

Harry nodded, "It would be a bad idea to do that, Voldemort was raised in an orphanage and look what he did. We don't want a repeat of that. But why are you telling us this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well... We know that these children will be powerful and we know we can't have them in an orphanage so I was wondering if you two would be willing to adopt the two of them?" Kingsley asked hesitantly. "I know you would need time to think and they are perfectly safe at the hospital, the Healers said they would look after them until I found somewhere for them to go." he added.

"We'd need to think about it." Ginny said, "One baby is a big responsibility, but two is a lot to handle. What are they exactly boy's or girl's?" she asked curiously.

"Their boy's, and identical in every way possible."

"We wouldn't be alone Gin." Harry reminded her, "I'm sure both our parents would help us, as well as Ron and Hermione. Can you give us a while to think about it Kingsley?"

"Of course you can take as long as you need. The healer that dealt with their mother said that she can take care of them until the end of the month and after that the Department of Magical Children has a few people willing to look after them for a while but not permanently." he explained. "I will explain to the others when we go through there but I thought it may be best to run it by you first."

Harry nodded, "That makes sense. If we're done there's something I forgot to do a day or so ago." Kingsley nodded and Harry ran upstairs.

"I suppose we better go tell the others." Ginny sighed, walking towards the kitchen with Kingsley behind her.

After Kingsley had explained to everyone what he had told Harry and Ginny, everyone was in shock.

"How?" Ron asked.

"Well the woman said she was raped. Do you know if Voldemort did that often?" Kingsley asked Cissy and Draco.

"Not often but I know he did do it occasionally." Draco frowned, "Usually he killed whoever he raped. He usually used people my age or a few years younger, sometimes older, was the woman marked?"

"No she wasn't actually. We didn't get her name, she wouldn't tell us, even under Veritaserrum." Kingsley frowned. "All we know is that the twin babies are definitely Voldemort's kids and that the woman is now dead."

"I thought she wouldn't be marked. He never used his followers like that, it was usually people who hated him or foreigners he used." Cissy explained shuddering. "I know a few women who he used, they were all killed or their children killed and their memories modified after a kid was born. Voldemort must have been planning on allowing her to have his child than killing it and modifying their memories."

"That's horrible." Hermione looked disgusted.

"But what else can we expect?" Ron asked, not expecting an answer. "It's Voldemort."

"It's horrible but true." Harry walked into the room, "I heard what you all said from upstairs." he explained while sitting down next to Ginny. "Ron, Hermione. I've owled the place that isn't happy with us requesting a meeting with those who control everything at that place."

"Yes it's about time we discussed things with them I suppose." Hermione sighed. Ron nodded.

"Must you three talk about things no one else understands?" Ginny asked.

_Gringotts Gin, the Goblins aren't happy with us remember?_ Harry asked silently.

_Oh yeah... You should ask Bill and Fleur for advice on how to deal with them, _she suggested. He nodded.

"You got the Goblins angry didn't you?" James asked amused.

"How did you know?" Ron asked.

"I was guessing and you just confirmed it." James smirked.

"Yes the goblins are not happy with the three of us." Hermione sighed, "You will see why later."

"Shall we continue the memories?" Harry asked. "It will be a happy one, or at least partly." they all nodded and moved back to the living room.

* * *

><p>Review please :-)<p> 


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56 - Third Year (Part 2.5)

9th, August, 1998.

"Right this is the train ride in." Harry smiled at Remus.

**The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with Harry's trip on the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary. though Harry noticed that they could slide through gaps that Uncle Vernon's new company car certainly couldn't have managed. They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.**

**Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station.**

**"Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."**

**Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolley and apparently very interested in the InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine. With a meaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier. Harry imitated him.**

"Remember when you and James did that, and then fell down?" Remus asked Sirius, who was closest to him.

"No." both dark-haired Marauders said automatically, blushing, making everyone laugh.

**In a moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three-quarters and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train.**

**Percy and Ginny suddenly appeared behind Harry. They were panting and had apparently taken the barrier at a run.**

**"Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again. Ginny caught Harry's eye, and they both turned away to hide their laughter as Percy strode over to a girl with long, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss his shiny badge.**

"Prat." Fred muttered. Percy ignored him.

**Once the remaining Weasleys and Hermione had joined them, Harry and Mr. Weasley led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig and Crookshanks in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.**

**Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, and finally Harry. He was embarrassed, but really quite pleased, when she gave him an extra hug.**

**"Do take care, won't you Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Then she opened her enormous handbag and said, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are, Ron... no, they're not corned beef... Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are dear..."**

**"Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "come over here for a moment."**

**He jerked his head towards a pillar, and Harry followed him behind it, leaving the others crowded around Mrs. Weasley.**

**"There's something I've got to tell you before you leave -" said Mr. Weasley in a tense voice.**

**"It's all right, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, "I already know."**

**"You know? How could you know?"**

**"I - er - I heard you and Mrs. Wesley talking last night. I couldn't help hearing," Harry added quickly. "Sorry -"**

**"That's not the way I'd have chosen for you to find out," said Mr. Weasley looking anxious.**

**"No - honestly it's okay. This way, you haven't broken your word to Fudge and I know what's going on."**

**"Harry, you must be scared -"**

**"I'm not," said Harry sincerely. "Really," he added, because Mr. Weasley was looking disbelieving. "I'm not trying to be a hero, but seriously, Sirius Black can't be worse than Lord Voldemort, can he?"**

"Absolutely not." Regulus said. "Not even close."

"Yeah the only thing Paddy would hurt would be a few rabbits while hunting." James chuckled.

"Or rats." Remus added. "Maybe a few Death Eater's." he mused.

Sirius smiled at his friend's who were like brothers and his little brother.

**Mr. Weasley flinched at the sound of the name, but overlooked it.**

**"Harry, I knew you were, well, made of stronger stuff than Fudge seems to think, and I'm obviously pleased that you're not scared, but -"**

**"Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, who was now shepherding the rest onto the train. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!"**

**"He's coming Molly!" said Mr. Weasley, but he turned back to Harry and kept talking in a lower and more hurried voice, "Listen, I want you to give me your word -"**

**"- that I'll be a good boy and stay in the castle?" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Not entirely," said Mr. Weasley, who looked more serious than Harry had ever seen him. "Harry, swear to me you won't go looking for Black."**

**Harry stared, "What!"**

**There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut.**

**"Promise me, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, talking more quickly still, "that whatever happens -"**

**"Why would I go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?" said Harry blankly.**

Most in the room looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" he asked innocently, "I never went looking for someone who wanted to kill me."

"So you never went looking for someone who wanted to kill you in 1st year?" Neville inquired, "I distinctly remember you going after the Philosophers Stone knowing full well the person after it probably wanted you dead."

"That's Voldemort." Harry shrugged, "He's an exception since we always ran into each other anyway, whether I was looking for him or not." he added bemusedly.

**"Swear to me that whatever you might hear -"**

**"Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley.**

**Steam was billowing from the train it had started to move. Harry ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let him on. They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view.**

**"I need to talk to you in private," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione as the train picked up speed.**

**"Go away, Ginny," said Ron.**

**"Oh, that's nice," said Ginny huffily, and she stalked off.**

They laughed slightly at this.

"Very friendly Ron." Ginny pouted, "Trying to get rid of your sweet, innocent, little sister."

"Nice try Gin. You've never been sweet, or innocent." George laughed.

"You can be as bad as us, when you want to be that is." Fred added, also laughing.

"No fair. Mum they're picking on me!" she complained.

"Boy's leave her alone." Molly sighed, "But they're right Ginny, I know you can be just as much trouble as them, your just better at not getting caught." she smiled fondly. Ginny nodded in agreement.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train.**

**This had only one occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Harry, Ron, and Hermione checked on the threshold. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart.**

**The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray.**

**"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window.**

**"Professor R. J. Lupin."**

"Moony!" Sirius shouted.

"Yep, it's me." Remus grinned.

**whispered Hermione at once.**

**"How'd you know that?"**

**"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.**

**"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile.**

"The transformations were starting to take their toll on me." Remus explained. "That and it was a full moon the night before."

"Bad one?" James asked.

"One of the worst." he nodded, "I was worried about teaching and I knew I would be seeing Harry for the first time in 12 years."

"Must've been hard for you." Harry smiled sympathetically, "You knew who I was and I didn't know you."

Remus nodded a little, "It couldn't be helped." he shrugged.

**"That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed.**

"I hope nothing bad happens to you Moony..." James said.

"Nothing terrible." Remus assured him, "Just the knowledge that I was a werewolf getting out."

"Which made you leave." Harry pouted, "Which wasn't fair. You were the best teacher we ever had." the others who had been in his classes nodded. Remus smiled at them all.

**"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he?"**

"Ron!" Molly scolded.

"Sorry Remus." he apologised.

"It's fine. It was a full moon the night before." Remus shrugged. "But I think it would take a bit more than that."

**"Anyway..." he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"**

**Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry..."**

**"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled. "Trouble usually finds me."**

They all laughed.

**"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily.**

"Thanks Ron." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Your welcome." he replied ignoring the sarcasm.

**They were taking the news worse than Harry had expected. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be much more frightened of Black than he was.**

**"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."**

"You never told us that!" James shouted.

"Oop's." Sirius replied shrugging, "I was the highest security prisoner besides Bellatrix and her husband and brother-in-law." he made a face, "I had to sit and listen to her slowly going mad."

"She was always mad." Cissy chuckled.

"Madder than she was then." he shrugged.

**"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too..."**

**"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.**

**A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment.**

**"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.**

**"Is that a Sneakoscope?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.**

**"Yeah... mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."**

**"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly.**

**"No! Well... I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys... but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"**

"Ron, you shouldn't have used Errol, we would have paid for an owl from the local post office." Arthur sighed.

"Too late now." Ron shrugged.

**"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."**

**He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.**

"I was already up." Remus admitted.

"Eavesdropping were we?" Dora teased.

"Remus! You were listening in on us!" Hermione exclaimed shocked.

"I may be the most innocent Marauder but I'm still a Marauder. I'm also very sorry for listening in." Remus apologised.

"It's in the past 'Mione." Ron soothed the angry witch.

"And besides it's not like Remus would use anything he heard against us." Harry added. "Even if we didn't know that at the time. And it was a good thing he was in the compartment we were."

"Fine." Hermione huffed. "Apology accepted Remus."

"Thank you." he replied smiling.

**"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," said Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."**

**"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain -"**

**"Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way. "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"**

**"What's that?" said Hermione.**

**"It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, "where they've got everything... Pepper Imps - they make you smoke at the mouth - and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next -"**

**"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain -"**

"Nope. It's not haunted and never has been." James frowned.

"It was me." Remus winced. "I used to transform in there while I was at school." everyone looked sympathetically at him and Dora held his hand comfortingly.

**"- and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word Hermione was saying.**

**Hermione looked around at Harry.**

**"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?"**

**"'Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out."**

**"What d'you mean?" said Ron.**

**"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."**

**Ron looked horrified.**

**"You're not allowed to come? But - no way - McGonagall or someone will give you permission -"**

"I'm not allowed to do that." Minerva sighed.

"You wouldn't have if you were, would you?" Harry asked.

"I would have." she disagreed, "Every student deserves a bit of time away from the school, the reason 1st and 2nd years aren't allowed is because they're too young to go without escorts." she shrugged.

"Never knew that." he mused.

**Harry gave a hollow laugh. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, was very strict.**

**"- or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle -"**

**"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose -"**

"I'm not going to walk into Hogsmeade and start killing people." Sirius said. "And I'm not killing anyone on principle. Except Wormtail if I ever get a hold of him. Or Bellatrix."

"Well you wont be getting hold of either of them." Cissy said, "They're already dead."

"Good. No offence Cissy I know Bella's your sister but I'm sure you know what happened."

"Of course I know. And don't worry I hated her in the end anyway."

**"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask of permission," said Harry bitterly.**

**"But if we're with him," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione. "Black wouldn't dare -"**

**"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?"**

**She was fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks's basket as she spoke.**

**"Don't let that thing out!" Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron's knees; the lump in Ron's pocket trembled and he shoved Crookshanks angrily away.**

**"Get out of it!"**

**"Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily.**

**Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred. They watched him apprehensively, but he simply turned his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and slept on.**

"Thank you Remus. They wouldn't have stopped arguing if you hadn't done that." Harry smiled.

Ron and Hermione blushed slightly.

"No problem." he replied also smiling.

**The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened overhead. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment. Crookshanks had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned towards Ron, his yellow eyes on Ron's top pocket.**

**At one o'clock the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.**

**"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."**

Sirius and James nodded and Remus rolled his eyes.

**Hermione approached Professor Lupin cautiously.**

**"Er - Professor?" she said. "Excuse me - Professor?"**

**He didn't move.**

**"Don't worry, dear," said the witch, as she handed a large stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."**

**"I suppose he is asleep?" said Ron quietly, as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean - he hasn't died, has he?"**

**"No, no, he's breathing," whispered Hermione,**

"That's good. One Marauder's already dead, we don't need another one to die." Sirius said. Remus glared at him before nodding grudgingly.

"Uh, Sirius, we did all die." James pointed out.

"Rephrase it: We didn't need another one of us to die right then, or at all. Despite the obvious fact we all died anyway." he shrugged.

**taking the cauldron cake Harry passed her.**

**He might not be very good company, but Professor Lupin's presence in their compartment had its uses. Mid-afternoon, just as it had started to rain, blurring the rolling hills outside the window, they heard footsteps outside in the corridor again, and their three least favorite people appeared at the door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.**

**Draco Malfoy and Harry had been enemies ever since they had met on their very first journey to Hogwarts. Malfoy, who had a pale, pointed, sneering face, was in Slytherin house; he played Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, the same position that Harry played on the Gryffindor team. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to exist to do Malfoy's bidding. They were both wide and muscley; Crabbe was taller, with a pudding-bowl haircut and a very thick neck; Goyle had short, bristly hair and long, gorilla arms.**

**"Well, look who it is," said Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. "Potty and the Weasel."**

**Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.**

**"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"**

"Hex him Harry!" James shouted.

"I don't think they're going to do that with me there Prongs." Remus said.

"Then wake up and leave." Sirius said, "Go get some food." Remus rolled his eyes.

**Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort.**

**"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin.**

**"New teacher," said Harry, who got to his feet, too, in case he needed to hold Ron back. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"**

**Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.**

**"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared.**

"Funny how you wouldn't do anything in front of a teacher." Harry commented.

"I'm not that stupid." Draco huffed.

**Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles.**

**"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and -"**

**Ron made a violent gesture in midair.**

**"Ron," hissed Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be careful..."**

**But Professor Lupin was still fast asleep.**

**The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, the wind roared, but still, Professor Lupin slept.**

"Or pretend to." Hermione pouted.

**"We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window.**

**The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.**

**"Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."**

**"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch.**

**"So why're we stopping?"**

**The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.**

**Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments.**

**The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.**

**"What's going on?" said Ron's voice from behind Harry.**

**"Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!"**

**Harry felt his way back to his seat.**

**"D'you think we've broken down?"**

**"Dunno..."**

**There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.**

**"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard..."**

**The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry's legs.**

**"Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry -"**

**"Hullo, Neville," said Harry, feeling around in the dark and pulling Neville up by his cloak.**

**"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"**

**"No idea! Sit down -"**

**There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.**

Neville blushed as most of the men chuckled.

**"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice. Harry felt her pass him, heard the door slide open again, and then a thud and two loud squeals of pain.**

**"Who's that?"**

**"Who's that?"**

**"Ginny?"**

**"Hermione?"**

**"What are you doing?"**

**"I was looking for Ron -"**

"Sure you weren't looking for Harry?" Fred teased.

"Shut up!" Ginny snapped as Harry put an arm around her looking very amused.

**"Come in and sit down -"**

**"Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!"**

George raised an eyebrow at Harry who tightened his hold on Ginny.

**"Ouch!" said Neville.**

**"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.**

**Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last.**

**Harry could hear movements in his corner.**

**None of them spoke.**

**There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary.**

**"Stay where you are." he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him.**

**But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it.**

**Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water...**

"That's what they look like?" Dudley asked shocked.

Harry nodded grimly.

**But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak.**

**And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.**

**An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart...**

**Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder...**

**And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't... a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside him -**

**"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?"**

**Someone was slapping his face.**

"Who was that?" Harry asked curiously.

"It was Ron." Neville said.

"I thought that." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Sorry mate." Ron said, Harry shrugged it off.

**"W-what?"**

**Harry opened his eyes; there were lanterns above him, and the floor was shaking - the Hogwarts Express was moving again and the lights had come back on. He seemed to have slid out of his seat onto the floor. Ron and Hermione were kneeling next to him, and above them he could see Neville and Professor Lupin watching. Harry felt very sick; when he put up his hand to push his glasses back on, he felt cold sweat on his face.**

**Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat.**

**"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.**

**"Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. The hooded creature had vanished. "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?"**

**"No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still.**

**Harry looked around the bright compartment. Ginny and Neville looked back at him, both very pale.**

**"But I heard screaming -"**

**A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.**

"Almost gave us all a heart attack." Ginny muttered.

"Sorry." Remus chuckled. "I didn't think it would be that loud."

**"Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."**

**Harry took the chocolate but didn't eat it.**

**"What was that thing?" he asked Lupin.**

**"A Dementor," said Lupin, who was now giving chocolate to everyone else. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban."**

"That must have been annoying. The first time you see him in 12 years and you have to tell him about those awful things." Dora sighed.

"It was a little annoying, but it could have been worse." Remus smiled.

**Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket.**

**"Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."**

**He strolled past Harry and disappeared into the corridor.**

**"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" said Hermione, watching Harry anxiously.**

**"I don't get it... what happened?" said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face.**

**"Well - that thing - the Dementor - stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face) - and you - you -"**

**"I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching -"**

**"And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked toward the Dementor, and pulled out his wand," said Hermione, "and he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away..."**

**"It was horrible," said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"**

**"I felt weird," said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be cheerful again..."**

**Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt, gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around her.**

"You saw the Chamber." Luna said softly, not bothering to make it a question. Ginny nodded.

**"But didn't any of you - fall off your seats?" said Harry awkwardly.**

**"No," said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. "Ginny was shaking like mad, though..."**

"I think there was only a couple of students who had terrible reactions to them." Minerva replied, "Your reaction was probably the worst Harry."

"I know but considering what I hear when they come near me..." he trailed off.

**Harry didn't understand. He felt weak and shivery, as though he were recovering from a bad bout of flu; he also felt the beginnings of shame. Why had he gone to pieces like that, when no one else had?**

**Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around, and said, with a small smile, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know..."**

They all smiled as well.

**Harry took a bite and to his great surprise felt warmth spread suddenly to the tips of his fingers and toes.**

**"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry?"**

**Harry didn't ask how Professor Lupin knew his name.**

"Not the way you were thinking." Remus smiled.

"I never knew that did I?" Harry muttered.

"I should've told you sooner." he sighed, "It would've been better."

"Maybe but it was painful for you to talk about, I understand that." he smiled, Remus smiled back.

**"Fine," he muttered, embarrassed.**

**They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets.**

**"Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.**

**"All right, you three?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled, Harry could only assume, by an invisible horse,**

They all shook their heads and said, "Thestrals."

"What?" Petunia asked.

"Invisible horses. You can only see them when you've seen death." Neville explained with a sigh, "I've been able to see them since my granddad died when I was 8."

"And I've been able to see them since I was 9." Luna told them. "Not many people know about Thestrals, they're odd to look at but they're really quite friendly when you know them." she smiled.

**because when they climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself, bumping and swaying in procession.**

**The coach smelled faintly of mold and straw. Harry felt better since the chocolate, but still weak. Ron and Hermione kept looking at him sideways, as though frightened he might collapse again.**

"We were worried." Hermione shrugged, "If you hadn't noticed your hands were shaking slightly."

Harry shrugged, "I didn't notice."

**As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Harry saw two more towering, hooded Dementors, standing guard on either side. A wave of cold sickness threatened to engulf him again; he leaned back into the lumpy seat and closed his eyes until they had passed the gates. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out.**

**As Harry stepped down, a drawling, delighted voice sounded in his ear.**

**"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"**

"Oh great. Here comes a prat." the twins groaned.

"In other words - me." Draco frowned. "Oh and Neville never told me, I overheard him talking to someone else."

"I knew it! You were listening in!" Neville exclaimed.

"Of course I was." he snorted.

**Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously.**

"To bad Moony's not with them anymore." James sighed.

**"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, whose jaw was clenched.**

**"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"**

**"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.**

"Moony to the rescue!" Sirius cheered.

**They all stared at him and he smiled.**

**Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the dilapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no - er - Professor,"**

"Git." Sirius muttered. Draco ignored him.

**then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle.**

**Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the three of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.**

**The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Harry followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"**

**Harry and Hermione turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. She was a stern looking witch who wore her hair in a tight bun; her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles. Harry fought his way over to her with a feeling of foreboding: Professor McGonagall had a way of making him feel he must have done something wrong.**

**"There's no need to look so worried - I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley."**

**Ron stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry and Hermione away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.**

**Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned Harry and Hermione to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter."**

"You had to didn't you?" Harry groaned.

"They would have found out eventually. It was better just getting it over with." Remus replied amused.

**Before Harry could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in.**

**Harry felt himself going red in the face. It was bad enough that he'd passed out, or whatever he had done, without everyone making all this fuss.**

**"I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything -"**

**"Oh, it's you, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"**

The Marauders laughed, "That's how she talked to us."

**"It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall.**

**They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.**

**"Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry's hair and feeling his forehead. "He won't be the last one who collapses. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate -"**

**"I'm not delicate!" said Harry crossly.**

**"Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking his pulse.**

"Everyone is delicate to Madame Pomfrey." James chuckled.

"She gave up calling me delicate after 5th year." Remus reminded him.

"That was only when you pointed out if you were delicate you would have been dead by then." Sirius frowned.

"It's true though. And she kept fussing." Remus groaned, "So I told her the truth and she listened."

**"What does he need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"**

**"I'm fine!" said Harry, jumping up. The thought of what Draco Malfoy would say if he had to go to the hospital wing was torture.**

**"Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Harry's eyes.**

**"I've already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us."**

**"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"**

"Of course." Sirius said, smiling.

**"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."**

**Harry went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the hospital wing, muttering to herself. He had to wait only a few minutes; then Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall.**

**It was a sea of pointed black hats; each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in midair.**

**Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall.**

**"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!"**

**New students at Hogwarts were sorted into Houses by trying on the Sorting Hat, which shouted out the House they were best suited to (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin). Professor McGonagall strode off toward her empty seat at the staff table, and Harry and Hermione set off in the other direction, as quietly as possible, toward the Gryffindor table. People looked around at them as they passed along the back of the hall, and a few of them pointed at Harry. Had the story of his collapsing in front of the Dementor traveled that fast?**

**He and Hermione sat down on either side of Ron, who had saved them seats.**

**"What was all that about?" he muttered to Harry.**

**Harry started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment the headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off.**

**Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose. He was often described as the greatest wizard of the age, but that wasn't why Harry respected him. You couldn't help trusting Albus Dumbledore, and as Harry watched him beaming around at the students, he felt really calm for the first time since the Dementor had entered the train compartment.**

**"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."**

**Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."**

**He paused, and Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had said about Dumbledore not being happy with the Dementors guarding the school.**

**"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said.**

**Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Harry, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.**

**"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."**

Everyone in the room, besides Remus, clapped and cheered.

"You already had your first fans too." Hermione grinned.

"Great." he smiled, "Glad I made a good impression."

**There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Harry among them. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.**

**"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear.**

**Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry, who hated Snape, was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. it was beyond anger: it was loathing.**

"Of course he hates me, after that incident in our 5th year." Remus said.

Sirius frowned, remembering that 'that incident' had been his fault.

"What happened?" Amber asked curiously.

"I tell Harry about it eventually." he muttered.

**Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry.**

**"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid,"**

The entire room cheered again.

**"who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Then they joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.**

**"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"**

They laughed and nodded.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.**

**"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"**

**The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Harry, suddenly ravenous, helped himself to everything he could reach and began to eat.**

**It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were eager for it to finish so that they could talk to Hagrid. They knew how much being made a teacher would mean to him. Hagrid wasn't a fully qualified wizard; he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year for a crime he had not committed. It had been Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had cleared Hagrid's name last year.**

**At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and they got their chance.**

**"Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers' table.**

**"All down ter you three," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it... great man, Dumbledore... came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough... It's what I always wanted..."**

**Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away.**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower, where a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, "Password?"**

**"Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's Fortuna Major!"**

**"Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords.**

"You must get that from Alice, she could never remember them either." Lily commented.

Neville smiled softly.

**Through the portrait hole and across the common room, the girls and boys divided toward their separate staircases. Harry climbed the spiral stair with no thought in his head except how glad he was to be back. They reached their familiar, circular dormitory with its five four-poster beds, and Harry, looking around, felt he was home at last.**

"Right I think we'll skip a little." Harry said.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57 - Third Year (Part 3)

9th, August, 1998.

"This is after our first Divination lesson and Professor Trelawney had just predicted my death using tea leaves." Harry explained.

"Let me guess, she saw the Grim?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "I thought so."

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione descended Professor Trelawney's ladder and the winding stair****s**** in silence, then set off for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration lesson. It took them so long to find her classroom that, early as they had left Divination, they were only just in time.**

**Harry chose a seat right at the back of the room, feeling as though he were sitting in a very bright spotlight; the rest of the class kept shooting furtive glances at him, as though he were about to drop dead at any moment. He hardly heard what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals),**

James and Sirius grinned and turned into their Animagi, Remus followed turning into his Lycan form. James turned back, but Sirius and Remus stayed animals. They jumped up onto their chairs and Padfoot curled up into a ball while Moony stretched out and lay on Dora's lap, prompting Teddy, who had been sitting quietly playing with his toy wolf on Andy's knee to clap happily, crawl over to his mother's knee and cuddle into his father's neck before falling asleep. Everyone in the room noticed this and chuckled at the boy using Moony's neck as a pillow.

**and wasn't even watching when she transformed herself in front of their eyes into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes.**

**"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."**

**Everybody's heads turned toward Harry again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand.**

**"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and ****-****"**

**"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"**

**Everyone stared at her.**

**"Me," said Harry, finally.**

**"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school.****"**

"See? Even Minnie knows she's a fraud." James grinned.

"We didn't at the time." Harry nodded.

"I've never had the patience for Divination either. And I've never seen the point in keeping that a secret." Minerva added.

**"****None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues ****-****" Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney..."****She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."**

They laughed and James said, "Minnie has a good sense of humor sometimes."

"Yeah. When you don't call her Minnie." Lily said frowning at the Marauders.

"After all these years I'm used to it from them." Minerva sighed, "There's no point telling them to stop either, after 7 years of telling them not to and them not listening I decided to give up."

"They didn't listen and eventually got me doing it too. It's really your own fault for walking into that prank knowing we'd probably done something." Remus added, "Sorry Minerva but it stays." he grinned.

"What prank?" Dora asked.

"We'll explain it later, it was a good one." James grinned, "And Moony is right Minnie, it's your own fault." Padfoot nodded letting his tongue hang out in a grin.

Minerva rolled her eyes but nodded in acceptance.

**Hermione laughed. Harry felt a bit better. It was harder to feel scared of a lump of tea leaves away from the dim red light and befuddling perfume of Professor Trelawney's classroom. Not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?"**

"Oh I knew I forgot something. She also predicted Neville would break his first cup, which he did." Harry smiled.

"Yeah but all the teachers knew I was clumsy." Neville said reasonably, "She could have found that out from anyone."

**When the Transfiguration class had finished, they joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch.**

**"Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."**

**Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start.**

**"Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"**

**"Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."**

"It was me." Sirius said.

"I'm sure they feel better now, knowing that it wasn't the grim, but an escaped prisoner." Remus said sarcastically.

"It's quite comforting to be honest." Harry smirked, "Better than having an imaginary dog appearing randomly that's for sure."

**Ron let his fork fall with a clatter.**

**"Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly.**

**Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad.**

**"Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's ****-**** that's bad," he said. "My ****-**** my uncle Bilius saw one and ****-**** and he died twenty-four hours later!"**

**"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.**

**"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"**

**"There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"**

Sirius turned back, he and James laughed and the others smiled, Moony letting his tongue hang out in a wolfish grin.

**Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione, who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug.**

**"I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."**

**"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly.**

**"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," said Hermione coolly.**

**"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"**

**He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.**

**"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"**

**She snatched up her bag and stalked away.**

**Ron frowned after her.**

**"What's she talking about?" he said to Harry. "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."**

**Harry was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures class.**

**Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that he realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins.**

They all groaned.

**Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Harry was quite sure he knew what they were talking about.**

**Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.**

**"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"**

**For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; Harry had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last him a lifetime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.**

**"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it ****-**** make sure yeh can see**** -**** now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books**** -****"**

**"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.**

**"Eh?" said Hagrid.**

**"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.**

**"Hasn' ****-**** hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.**

**The class all shook their heads.**

**"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look ****-****"**

**He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.**

**"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"**

"Shut up, Malf - Black." James growled, changing his words at the last-minute.

"Merlin that's going to take some getting used to." Draco mused.

**"I ****-**** I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.**

**"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.**

**"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so ****-**** so yeh've got yer books an'... an'... now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."**

**He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.**

**"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him ****-****"**

"Oh of course, his father." Sirius said.

**"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated.**

**"Careful, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you ****-****"**

**"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.**

**Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes.**

"Hippogriff." Sirius told James, Lily, Regulus, Petunia and Dudley, who all looked confused, "They were discovered just after James and Lily's death's." he sighed.

**The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.**

**"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.**

**"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"**

"Er - kinda." James said.

**Harry could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the Hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.**

**"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."**

**No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously.**

**"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Harry had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson.**

"We were." Draco admitted.

**"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.****Right ****-**** who wants ter go first?"**

**Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione had misgivings. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.**

**"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.**

**"I'll do it," said Harry.**

**There was an intake of breath from behind him, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!"**

**Harry ignored them. He climbed over the paddock fence.**

**"Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then ****-**** let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."**

**He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray Hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.**

**"Easy now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."**

**Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye. "Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry... now, bow."**

**Harry didn't feel much like exposing the back of his neck to Buckbeak, but he did as he was told. He gave a short bow and then looked up.**

**The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move.**

"Back away Harry." Molly said nervously.

**"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right ****-**** back away, now, Harry, easy does it ****-****"**

**But then, to Harry's enormous surprise, the Hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.**

**"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right ****-**** yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"**

**Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away,**

The Marauders and twins laughed a little at this.

**Harry moved slowly toward the Hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.**

**The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.**

**"Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"**

**This was more than Harry had bargained for. He was used to a broomstick; but he wasn't sure a Hippogriff would be quite the same.**

**"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."**

**Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back. Buckbeak stood up. Harry wasn't sure where to hold on; everything in front of him was covered with feathers.**

**"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriffs hindquarters.**

**Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Harry, he just had time to seize the Hippogriff around the neck before he was soaring upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, and Harry knew which one he preferred; the Hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of him, catching him under his legs and making him feel he was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under his fingers and he didn't dare get a stronger grip; instead of the smooth action of his Nimbus Two Thousand, he now felt himself rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the Hippogriff rose and fell with its wings.**

**Buckbeak flew him once around the paddock and then headed back to the ground; this was the bit Harry had been dreading; he leaned back as the smooth neck lowered, feeling he was going to slip off over the beak, then felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground. He just managed to hold on and push himself straight again.**

**"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"**

**Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees.**

"It didn't like me that much." Neville pouted.

"It could tell you were nervous." Luna corrected him, "Most animals are like that, they don't like nervous people because they think the nervous person doesn't like them."

**Ron and Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Harry watched.**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.**

**"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to, hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"**

"Great. Now he's going to get attacked and Hagrid's going to get in trouble." Dora said, sighing.

"That was the plan." Draco sighed, "It was stupid and I don't know why I did it."

"Because you're a idiot?" Ron suggested.

Draco nodded. "At least I was an idiot then."

**It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.**

**"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"**

"Bit dramatic, isn't he?" Dora whispered to Moony who nodded carefully so he didn't wake Teddy.

**"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me ****-**** gotta get him outta here ****-****"**

**Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, Harry saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.**

**Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.**

**"They should sack him straight away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.**

"It's not his fault! Draco wasn't listening!" Astoria frowned.

"That's true. I didn't listen and it wasn't my intention to get attacked." Draco admitted, "I was just trying to annoy Harry so much he'd try to hex me or something, it would've got Hagrid in trouble as well."

**"It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.**

**They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall.**

**"I'm going to see if he's okay!" said Pansy, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.**

**"You think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously.**

**"Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," said Harry, who had had far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse.**

**"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him..." They were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.**

**"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding.**

**"They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either.**

**Harry was watching the Slytherin table. A large group including Crabbe and Goyle was huddled together, deep in conversation. Harry was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had been injured.**

**"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily.**

**They went up to the crowded Gryffindor common room after dinner and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall had given them, but all three of them kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.**

**"There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry said suddenly.**

**Ron looked at his watch.**

**"If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early..."**

**"I don't know," Hermione said slowly, and Harry saw her glance at him.**

**"I'm allowed to walk across the grounds," he said pointedly. "Sirius Black hasn't got past the Dementors yet, has he?"**

Sirius huffed.

**So they put their things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front doors, as they weren't entirely sure they were supposed to be out.**

**The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min."**

**Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boarhound, Fang, had his head in Hagrid's lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus.**

**"'Spect it's a record," he said thickly, when he recognized them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before."**

"He hasn't been fired!" Lily gasped.

"Not yet." Harry muttered darkly.

**"You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione.**

**"Not yet," said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But's only a matter o' time, I'n't, after Malfoy..."**

**"How is he?" said Ron as they all sat down. "It wasn't serious, was it?"**

**"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "but he's sayin' it's still agony... covered in bandages... moanin'..."**

**"He's faking it," said Harry at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year.****Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."**

"Absolutely right. I was playing it up, but only because I was told to." Draco added.

"By who?" Cissy asked.

"Lucius, who else?" Draco scowled. "I've never actually minded Hagrid, but Lucius said he could never be a decent teacher and I was to try and get him fired."

Cissy nodded, "I know why you listened to him, but you could have told me and I would have told Lucius to leave you alone."

"Didn't think of that." Draco muttered.

**"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," said Hagrid miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later... done flobberworms"**

"Flobberworms are boring, Hagrid!" Sirius moaned.

**"or summat... Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson's all my fault..."**

**"It's all Malfoy's fault, Hagrid!" said Hermione earnestly.**

**"We're witnesses," said Harry. "You said Hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It's Malfoy's problem that he wasn't listening. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happened."**

**"Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll back you up," said Ron.**

**Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes. He grabbed both Harry and Ron and pulled them into a bone-breaking hug.**

**"I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.**

**"Ah, maybe she's right," said Hagrid, letting go of Harry and Ron, who both staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. They heard a loud splash.**

**"What's he done?" said Harry nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.**

**"Stuck his head in the water barrel," said Hermione, putting the tankard away.**

**Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.**

**"That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all. "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really ****-****"**

**Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry as though he'd only just realized he was there.**

**"WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH?" he roared, so suddenly that they jumped a foot in the air. "YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY! AN, YOU TWO! LETTIN' HIM!"**

**Hagrid strode over to Harry, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door.**

**"C'mon!" Hagrid said angrily. "I'm takin' yer all back up ter school an' don' let me catch yeh walkin' down ter see me after dark again. I'm not worth that!"**

"Well... That was odd." Regulus commented.

"We didn't know we weren't supposed to be out after that time." Harry said defensively.

"There was notices in all the common room's on the notice boards." Minerva told them.

"Oop's. We didn't check." Hermione admitted.

"Obviously." Kingsley chuckled, "You know, I don't think I've ever seen Hagrid that angry."

"Not many people have." Remus commented. "It takes a lot to get Hagrid that angry, unless he's been drinking." he added.

"True. Should we move onto the next memory?" Harry asked, everyone nodded so he changed the memory quickly.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58 - Third Year (Part 3.5)

9th, August, 1998.

"This is the memory of Draco's reappearance after he was in the hospital wing for a few days." Harry explained.

"And I'm even more of a git." Draco grumbled.

"And our first lesson with Remus." Harry finished, ignoring Draco and grinning at Moony who grinned back wolf-style.

**Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry's opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.**

**"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"**

**"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.**

**"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.**

**Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention.**

"He wouldn't have given me detention anyway. He knew I was going to be late." Draco said.

**But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others.**

**They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table.**

**"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm -"**

**"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.**

**Ron went brick red.**

**"There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy.**

**Malfoy smirked across the table.**

**"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."**

"You were just being lazy." Ron accused, Draco just nodded.

**Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.**

**"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."**

**Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair.**

**"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."**

**"But, sir -!"**

**Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.**

**"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.**

"Show him dangerous." James muttered.

**Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again.**

**"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter.**

**"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him.**

"I'm sure that makes Harry feel so special." James said, causing the others to laugh.

"Absolutely." Harry grinned.

**Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.**

**"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.**

**"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up.**

**"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury -"**

**"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.**

"You tell him Ron." the twins cheered.

**"- he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know."**

"Paid the Ministry loads of gold, is more like it." Sirius said bitterly.

"Actually it was blackmail that time." Cissy frowned. "I never talked to him for weeks after that."

**"And a lasting injury like this" - he gave a huge, fake sigh - "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"**

**"So that's why you're putting it on," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "To try to get Hagrid fired."**

**"Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me."**

**A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned -**

**"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.**

"Orange?" Luna asked, "That's a nice colour."

"It was also wrong." Neville smiled, "I've always hated potions."

"Is that the subject or the teacher?" Minerva asked.

"Both." Neville shrugged, "I hated Snape more than the subject but I hated the subject too."

**"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one cat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"**

**Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.**

"Leave him alone, Snape!" Lily shouted.

"Fat chance of that, Mum. He picked on everyone, especially Neville and I." Harry smiled.

**"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right -"**

**"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."**

"He can't do that!" Dora protested, scratching behind Moony's ears to soothe the annoyed looking wolf.

"He did though." Minerva sighed. "There was no point complaining to Albus, but I did argue with him quite often about the treatment of the Gryffindor's."

**Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.**

**"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.**

**"Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning - they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."**

**"Where?" said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.**

**"Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."**

**"Not too far from here..." Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?"**

**But Malfoy's eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed Harry. He leaned across the table.**

**"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"**

**"Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly.**

**Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean smile.**

**"Of course, if it was me," he said quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."**

"No you wouldn't." Cissy said, "You knew about his innocence. I told you myself, added to that you knew about the 'white sheep' in the family."

"I know. I was just trying to annoy them." Draco sighed.

"It worked." Harry told him.

"Cissy you told him about the 'white sheep'?" Andy asked curiously.

"Of course, I told him about you and Sirius as well as Uncle Alphard." she replied. "Basically whatever Lucius told him I always made sure he knew about both sides of the family and that not everyone was dark."

"Mixed messages." Sirius nodded.

"You're not kidding. The messages never started sinking in until I was marked though." Draco admitted.

"I was the same way, don't worry." Regulus told him, he was absently rubbing his left forearm as was Draco.

**"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" said Ron roughly.**

**"Don't you know, Potter?" breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed.**

**"Know what?"**

**Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh.**

**"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the Dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."**

**"What are you talking about?" said Harry angrily, but at that moment Snape called, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's..."**

**Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, watching Neville sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see.**

**Harry and Ron packed away their unused ingredients and went to wash their hands and ladles in the stone basin in the corner.**

**"What did Malfoy mean?" Harry muttered to Ron as he stuck his hands under the icy jet that poured from the gargoyle's mouth "Why would I want revenge on Black? He hasn't done anything to me - yet."**

**"He's making it up," said Ron savagely. "He's trying to make you do something stupid..."**

Draco nodded in confirmation.

**The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron.**

**"Everyone gather around," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."**

**The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.**

**There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.**

**The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.**

**"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."**

"That's slimy Slytherin prat!" James shouted.

"If Moony's class is next, maybe it'll cheer everyone up." Sirius said.

"It will." Hermione promised.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the steps to the entrance hall. Harry was still thinking about what Malfoy had said, while Ron was seething about Snape.**

**"Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"**

**Hermione didn't answer. Ron looked around.**

**"Where is she?"**

**Harry turned too. They were at the top of the steps now, watching the rest of the class pass them, heading for the Great Hall and lunch.**

**"She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning.**

"Where did you go?" James asked. Hermione ignored him.

**Malfoy passed them, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Harry and disappeared.**

**"There she is," said Harry.**

**Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes.**

**"How did you do that?" said Ron.**

**"What?" said Hermione, joining them.**

**"One minute you were right behind us, the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."**

**"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh - I had to go back for something. Oh no -"**

**A seam had split on Hermione's bag. Harry wasn't surprised; he could see that it was crammed with at least a dozen large and heavy books.**

**"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her.**

**"You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"**

**"But -" Ron was turning over the books she had handed him, looking at the covers. "You haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."**

"Yep, Moony's class." Sirius said happily.

**"Oh yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off toward the Great Hall.**

**"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry.**

"Your right I was hiding something." Hermione whispered to Ron, "I just wasn't going to tell you what it was."

"We know." Ron grumbled, "But we know what it was now and we understand why you couldn't tell us."

**Professor Lupin wasn't there when they arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.**

**"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."**

"Great! No books!" Sirius shouted, "This is going to be a good lesson!"

**A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class before, unless you counted the memorable class last year when their old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose.**

**"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."**

**Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.**

**Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.**

**"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin -"**

James and Sirius laughed as Moony looked amusedly at them.

"It was you who made it up, wasn't it?" Lily asked her husband.

"Sirius helped. And Moony didn't mind it, did you Moony?" James questioned.

The wolf shook his head gently, making sure he didn't knock his sleeping son off Dora's knee as Teddy was still using him as a pillow.

**Rude and unmanageable as he almost always was, Peeves usually showed some respect toward the teachers. Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling.**

**"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."**

"I think that was the point." Fred chuckled.

**Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a bad-tempered, failed wizard who waged a constant war against the students and, indeed, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.**

**Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.**

**"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."**

**He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves.**

**With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.**

They were all laughing and Sirius said, "Moony's the best teacher ever!"

Moony let out a little wuff of laughter.

**"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement.**

**"Thank you, Dean," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?"**

**They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect. He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.**

**"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.**

**The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher. Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."**

**Neville went scarlet. Harry glared at Snape; it was bad enough that he bullied Neville in his own classes, let alone doing it in front of other teachers.**

**Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows.**

**"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably."**

"And you did." Ron grinned.

"I was still terrified." Neville admitted.

"That's what Boggarts are for though. Making you scared." Hermione pointed out.

**Neville's face went, if possible, even redder. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.**

**"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.**

**"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there."**

**Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively.**

**"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks - I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"**

**Hermione put up her hand.**

**"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."**

**"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed. "So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means," said Professor Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"**

**Trying to answer a question with Hermione next to him, bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet with her hand in the air, was very off-putting, but Harry had a go.**

"Yes it's very annoying when you do that." Ron chuckled. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

**"Er - because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"**

**"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake - tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."**

They laughed.

"I remember that class, it was those Ravenclaw's, Peakes and Bonno wasn't it?" Sirius asked.

"I think so." James shrugged.

**"The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please... Riddikulus!"**

**"Riddikulus!" said the class together.**

**"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."**

**The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows.**

"I had met a Boggart before. I wasn't keen to repeat the experience." Neville muttered.

**"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"**

**Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.**

**"I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.**

**Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."**

**Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.**

"What are you thinking?" Sirius asked Moony, who just rolled his eyes.

"He can't exactly answer that." Dora pointed out, "Or have you met a wolf that can talk?"

"Good point." James chuckled.

Before the memory continued the Floo lit up and the figures of Bill and Fleur appeared.

"Hello everyone. What have we missed?" Bill asked.

Harry quickly filled them in.

"I'm guessing your feeling better then Fleur?" Molly asked.

"Yes much better. I think it was just a little morning sickness." she replied smiling.

"Morning sickness is the worst." Lily agreed as the two sat down and the memory continued, after they'd been caught up.0

**"Professor Snape... hmmm... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"**

**"Er - yes," said Neville nervously. "But - I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."**

**"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"**

They all started laughing, realizing where Remus was going with this.

"Moony, your brilliant." James said, still laughing.

**Neville looked startled, but said, "Well... always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress... green, normally... and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."**

**"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.**

**"A big red one," said Neville.**

**"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"**

**"Yes," said Neville uncertainly, plainly wondering what was coming next.**

**"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand - thus - and cry 'Riddikulus' - and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."**

**There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.**

**"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."**

**The room went quiet. Harry thought... What scared him most in the world?**

**His first thought was Lord Voldemort - a Voldemort returned to full strength. But before he had even started to plan a possible counterattack on a Boggart-Voldemort, a horrible image came floating to the surface of his mind...**

**A rotting, glistening hand, slithering back beneath a black cloak... a long, rattling breath from an unseen mouth... then a cold so penetrating it felt like drowning...**

**Harry shivered, then looked around, hoping no one had noticed. Many people had their eyes shut tight. Ron was muttering to himself, "Take its legs off." Harry was sure he knew what that was about. Ron's greatest fear was spiders.**

_I did notice the shiver but I thought you were thinking of Voldemort,_ Moony admitted through the pack bond.

_Nope, Dementors,_ Harry replied silently.

**"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.**

**Harry felt a lurch of fear. He wasn't ready. How could you make a Dementor less frightening? But he didn't want to ask for more time; everyone else was nodding and rolling up their sleeves.**

**"Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward... Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot -"**

**They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.**

**"On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One - two - three - now!"**

**A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.**

**Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.**

**"R - r - Riddikulus! " squeaked Neville.**

**There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag.**

"Brilliant!" the twins shouted.

"Wonderful! Absolutely genius!" the dark-haired Marauders yelled, Teddy stirred a little but didn't wake up. Moony looked smug.

**There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"**

**Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising -**

**"Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.**

**A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.**

**"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.**

**Seamus darted past Parvati.**

**Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floorlength black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face - a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Harry's head stand on end - "Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.**

**The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.**

**Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then - crack! - became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before -crack! - becoming a single, bloody eyeball.**

**"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"**

**Dean hurried forward.**

**Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.**

**"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean.**

**There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.**

**"Excellent! Ron, you next!"**

**Ron leapt forward.**

**Crack!**

**Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Harry thought Ron had frozen. Then -**

**"Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet.**

They laughed at Lavender, but quickly turned back to the memory, eager to see how Harry did.

**He raised his wand, ready, but -**

**"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward.**

"What?" Sirius asked, looking at Remus.

_I thought it would have turned into Voldemort,_ Remus said,_ I explained that to Harry on the first Hogsmeade weekend,_ Ginny repeated this out loud for those who weren't part of the pack bond and Harry nodded in confirmation.

**Crack!**

**The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin,**

"Full moon?" James guessed, Moony nodded slightly.

**who said, "Riddikulus!" almost lazily.**

**Crack!**

**"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined.**

**"Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.**

**"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone... Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart - ten for Neville because he did it twice... and five each to Hermione and Harry."**

**"But I didn't do anything," said Harry.**

**"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."**

**Talking excitedly, the class left the staffroom. Harry, however, wasn't feeling cheerful. Professor Lupin had deliberately stopped him from tackling the Boggart. Why? Was it because he'd seen Harry collapse on the train, and thought he wasn't up to much? Had he thought Harry would pass out again?**

"Nope just a bad idea for Voldemort to appear in the staff room." Dora chuckled, "People would have panicked even if it was just a Boggart."

"I didn't consider that until Remus explained it to me." Harry admitted.

**But no one else seemed to have noticed anything.**

**"Did you see me take that banshee?" shouted Seamus.**

**"And the hand!" said Dean, waving his own around.**

**"And Snape in that hat!"**

**"And my mummy!"**

They laughed at how that sounded.

**"I wonder why Professor Lupin's frightened of crystal balls?" said Lavender thoughtfully.**

**"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?" said Ron excitedly as they made their way back to the classroom to get their bags.**

**"He seems like a very good teacher," said Hermione approvingly. "But I wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart -"**

**"What would it have been for you?" said Ron, sniggering. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten?"**

"No actually." Hermione scowled.

"It would have been you failing everything which is just not possible." Ginny smiled. Hermione, reluctantly, smiled back. "What's next Harry?"

"Um... should I explain or show the parts before Halloween?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Just explain it." they said together. Harry nodded and got to his feet to explain.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 58 - Third Year (Part 4)

9th, August, 1998.

"Basically Snape wasn't happy about the Boggart and the story spread like wildfire." Harry started, the others chuckled, "DADA quickly became everyone's favourite subject." he paused as the room cheered for Remus, who just grinned. "We had another Divination lesson where my death was predicted again. Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatchers after the Hippogriff's because, thanks to Draco, Hagrid had us studying Flobberworms."

"I never thought of that, Flobberworms are boring compared to everything else." Draco pouted, "I should have thought about that before following my father's orders, if I had then I would have told him to get lost and that I wasn't studying worms all term."

"Yes you should have thought about the worms. Anyway, we found out the first Hogsmeade weekend was on Halloween and Harry spent most of the time between brooding and plotting a way to get his form signed." Hermione explained.

"And he ended up asking me but I wouldn't have been able to either way." Minerva commented, "I'm not a parent or guardian so I couldn't or I would have let you go."

Ron nodded. "Before we found out about Hogsmeade, Wood went mad with practices according to Harry."

"Yeah he kept reminding us that it was his last year at school and we had to win and all the usual stuff." Fred agreed.

"And we're going to start on Halloween it's self." Harry finished the explanation.

**On Halloween morning, Harry awoke with the rest and went down to breakfast, feeling thoroughly depressed, though doing his best to act normally.**

"Didn't work." Hermione told him, "We could still tell."

"Well, kind of. We know you best, so it's harder for you to hide things from us." Ron explained. "Hardly anyone else noticed you were depressed."

"It worked well enough then." Harry smiled.

**"We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for him.**

**"Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks in the face of Harry's difficulties.**

**"Don't worry about me," said Harry, in what he hoped was a offhand voice, "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."**

**He accompanied them to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.**

**"Staying here, Potter?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the Dementors?"**

**Harry ignored him and made his solitary way up the marble staircase, through the deserted corridors, and back to Gryffindor Tower.**

**"Password?" said the Fat Lady, jerking out of a doze.**

**"Fortuna Major," said Harry listlessly.**

**The portrait swung open and he climbed through the hole into the common room. It was full of chattering first-and second-years, and a few older students, who had obviously visited Hogsmeade so often the novelty had worn off.**

**"Harry! Harry! Hi, Harry!"**

**It was Colin Creevey, a second year who was deeply in awe of Harry and never missed an opportunity to speak to him.**

**"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade, Harry? Why not? Hey -" Colin looked eagerly around at his friends "- you can come and sit with us, if you like, Harry!"**

**"Er - no, thanks, Colin," said Harry, who wasn't in the mood to have a lot of people staring avidly at the scar on his forehead. "I - I've got to go to the library, got to get some work done."**

**After that, he had no choice but to turn right around and head back out of the portrait hole again.**

**"What was the point of waking me up?" the Fat Lady called grumpily after him as he walked away.**

**Harry wandered dispiritedly toward the library, but halfway there he changed his mind; he didn't feel like working. He turned around and came face-to-face with Filch, who had obviously just seen off the last of the Hogsmeade visitors.**

**"What are you doing?" Filch snarled suspiciously.**

**"Nothing," said Harry truthfully.**

**"Nothing!" spat Filch, his jowls quivering unpleasantly. "A likely story! Sneaking around on your own - why aren't you in Hogsmeade buying Stink Pellets and Belch Powder and Whizzing Worms like the rest of your nasty little friends?"**

**Harry shrugged.**

**"Well, get back to your common room where you belong!" snapped Filch, and he stood glaring until Harry had passed out of sight.**

**But Harry didn't go back to the common room; he climbed a staircase, thinking vaguely of visiting the Owlery to see Hedwig, and was walking along another corridor when a voice from inside one of the rooms said, "Harry?"**

**Harry doubled back to see who had spoken and met Professor Lupin, looking around his office door.**

"Good, now Harry has something to do." James said happily.

**"What are you doing?" said Lupin, though in a very different voice from Filch. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"**

**"Hogsmeade," said Harry, in a would-be casual voice.**

**"Ah," said Lupin. He considered Harry for a moment. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson."**

**"A what?" said Harry.**

**He followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.**

**"Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the Grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."**

"Moony you do realise you're trying to cheer him up by teaching, right?" James chuckled.

Dora lifted Teddy as Moony squirmed and he changed back.

"It worked." he pointed out, letting Dora put Teddy back on his knee where the little boy curled into Remus's stomach in his sleep.

"It did work." Harry confirmed. "How did you know it would work?" he asked Remus.

"Simple, Albus told me about your curiosity so I figured if I could raise your curiosity of something then you would forget about being upset." he replied looking smug. "And I was right, even if it was only temporary."

"It used to work with Lily when we were younger." Petunia commented, "But she figured out what was happening and started locking herself in her room and ignoring everyone when she was in a bad mood."

"It still worked when our parent's done it Tuney." Lily said.

Petunia smiled at her old nickname. "Yes but it wouldn't work for many other people."

**The Grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner.**

**"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."**

**"All right," said Harry awkwardly.**

**Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.**

**"Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid - but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"**

They all laughed.

**Harry looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling.**

"Can't believe you brought that up." Harry muttered, "You have to be the first teacher we had that liked to joke about things."

Remus smiled as Teddy shivered in his sleep, he summoned a blanket and draped it over Teddy, "He feels cold." he explained to Dora who looked at him curiously.

"No idea how when your body temperature is so high." she mused.

"He often get's cold when he's asleep without a blanket." Andy shrugged, "No matter how warm the room or how warm the person holding him is."

**"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.**

**"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry a chipped mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"**

**"No," said Harry.**

**He thought for a moment of telling Lupin about the dog he'd seen in Magnolia Crescent but decided not to. He didn't want Lupin to think he was a coward,**

"I wouldn't think that, Harry." Remus said. "But if you described the dog I would have known it was Padfoot."

"Good thing I didn't then." Harry smirked.

"Yes probably." Sirius agreed.

"Not really Paddy. If I knew it was you and that you didn't hurt Harry I would have guessed that it wasn't him you were after." Remus frowned, "But I suppose it was a good thing as at that point I didn't know you were innocent." he conceded.

**especially since Lupin already seemed to think he couldn't cope with a Boggart.**

**Something of Harry's thoughts seemed to have shown on his face, because Lupin said, "Anything worrying you, Harry?"**

**"No," Harry lied. He drank a bit of tea and watched the Grindylow brandishing a fist at him. "Yes," he said suddenly, putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the Boggart?"**

**"Yes," said Lupin slowly.**

**"Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly.**

**Lupin raised his eyebrows.**

**"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," he said, sounding surprised.**

**Harry, who had expected Lupin to deny that he'd done any such thing, was taken aback.**

**"Why?" he said again.**

**"Well," said Lupin, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."**

"Yeah, Voldemort appearing in the middle of a class might cause people to panic." Remus said, chuckling.

"No kidding." Minerva muttered, "The name alone caused most people to panic."

**Harry stared. Not only was this the last answer he'd expected, but Lupin had said Voldemort's name. The only person Harry had ever heard say the name aloud (apart from himself) was Professor Dumbledore.**

**"Clearly, I was wrong," said Lupin, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."**

**"I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry honestly. "I - I remembered those Dementors."**

**"I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I'm impressed." He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is - fear. Very wise, Harry."**

**Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he drank some more tea.**

**"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the Boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly.**

**"Well... yeah," said Harry. He was suddenly feeling a lot happier. "Professor Lupin, you know the Dementors -"**

**He was interrupted by a knock on the door.**

**"Come in," called Lupin.**

**The door opened, and in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly,**

"What's that?" James asked.

"Wolfsbane." Remus told him. "It allows werewolves to keep their minds on full moons." James, Lily and Regulus nodded at the new information.

**and stopped at the sight of Harry, his black eyes narrowing.**

**"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"**

**Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin.**

**"I was just showing Harry my Grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.**

**"Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."**

**"Yes, Yes, I will," said Lupin.**

**"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."**

"Snape was probably hoping you will pick up on it." Remus said to Harry.

"He knew how bad I was at potions, he knew I wouldn't pick up on it." Harry scoffed. "Especially when I didn't even know it existed."

**"I should probably have some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."**

**"Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye Harry didn't like. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.**

**Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.**

**"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.**

**"Why -?" Harry began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question.**

**"I've been feeling a bit off-color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."**

**Professor Lupin took another sip and Harry had a crazy urge to knock the goblet out of his hands.**

They laughed.

**"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," he blurted out.**

**"Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took another gulp of potion.**

**"Some people reckon -" Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."**

**Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.**

**"Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. See you at the feast later."**

**"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup.**

**The empty goblet was still smoking.**

**"There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry."**

**A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's lap. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?"**

**By the sound of it - everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.**

**"The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"**

**"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look -"**

**"We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks -"**

**"Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up -"**

**"What did you do?" said Hermione, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?"**

**"No," said Harry. "Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in..."**

**He told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open.**

**"Lupin drank it?" he gasped. "Is he mad?"**

"Not as mad as Sirius." Remus said, causing Sirius to glare at him.

**Hermione checked her watch.**

**"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes." They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape.**

**"But if he - you know -" Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around, "if he was trying to - to poison Lupin -"**

"I don't think he'd go that far." Remus said.

**"he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry."**

"Also a good point. If he was going to poison anyone he wouldn't do it in front of people." Lily frowned. "Especially anyone who would go to Dumbledore."

**"Yeah, maybe," said Harry as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.**

**The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything. Harry kept glancing at the staff table. Professor Lupin looked cheerful and as well as he ever did; he was talking animatedly to tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher. Harry moved his eyes along the table, to the place where Snape sat. Was he imagining it, or were Snape's eyes flickering toward Lupin more often than was natural?**

**The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.**

"Didn't he do that once during our first year?" Remus asked.

James nodded, "Then Sirius said something that offended him and he wouldn't do it anymore."

"That was the first time he'd done it since then." Minerva chuckled.

**It had been such a pleasant evening that Harry's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Malfoy, who shouted through the crowd as they all left the hall, "The Dementors send their love, Potter!"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.**

**"Why isn't anyone going in?" said Ron curiously.**

**Harry peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed.**

**"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password - excuse me, I'm Head Boy -"**

**And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."**

**People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.**

**"What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived.**

**A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was.**

**"Oh, my -" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm.**

**The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.**

**"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."**

**"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.**

**It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.**

**"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing." he added unconvincingly.**

**"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.**

**"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."**

"Padfoot! You attacked the Fat Lady!" James yelled.

"Why did you do that Sirius? You know it wouldn't help at all." Dora asked curiously.

"She was about to yell and I would have been caught. And I lost my temper." Sirius muttered. "She was being deliberately annoying."

"No, she was doing her job." Minerva scowled. "You basically tortured all of Gryffindor tower with the painting they had to use instead of her while her portrait was being restored."

"Torture is a little much, more like annoyed us to the point of tearing our hair out." Hermione smiled.

"Who did they use?" James asked.

"Sir Cadogan. He was the only one willing to guard the tower after the Fat Lady was attacked." Minerva sighed.

"Urgh. That would have been a nightmare." Lily moaned.

"It was. He kept changing the password every few days sometimes everyday." Neville frowned, "I could never remember them."

"Most people couldn't remember them. I did try to convince him to stop changing them but he wouldn't listen." Percy explained.

"He didn't listen to anyone except Albus." Minerva commented.

"He listens to Harry sometimes now." Hermione smirked.

"So does Peeves." Ron added.

Those who didn't know this looked at Harry.

"How did you get Peeves to listen to you?" Fred asked.

Harry shrugged, "I actually have no idea, he just does."

"Even we couldn't get Peeves to listen to us." James told them pointing at the other Marauders.

"We think it's because he respect's Harry." Neville commented.

"The only other one he listens to is the Bloody Baron and he respect's the Bloody Baron." Luna added.

"It could be because Harry ended the war. Peeves didn't like the Death Eater's any more than we did." Ginny explained.

"That might do it." Regulus nodded. "Peeves is scared of people who have the power to get rid of him, he knew Dumbledore wouldn't so he didn't respect Dumbledore. I don't know why he respect's the Baron though."

The Golden Trio shared looks.

"Brilliant those three know that too." Bill chuckled, "Is there anything you three don't know about the castle?"

"Umm... A few thing's but not much." Harry said, "Peeves respect's the Baron because he killed somebody who is also a ghost at the castle and the Baron has been there longer than Peeves."

"Who?" Lily asked.

"We can't say without that ghost's permission." Hermione said apologetically, "It's a personal thing that the ghost doesn't want going around."

"And they would know it was us who told." Ron added, "I don't think we'd like being haunted so were not telling unless they tell us we can."

"Wait, is the ghost a woman?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." Harry confirmed.

"I know who it is. It's the Grey Lady isn't it?" he asked.

"We're not telling more than this... but yes it is." Harry said.

"Fair enough." Fred grumbled.

"Who's the Grey Lady?" Amber asked.

"Ghost of Ravenclaw Tower." Luna said dreamily, "She's quite nice when you get to know her."

"Anyway that was the end of the memory why don't we take a break." Harry suggested.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 59 - Decisions.

9th, August, 1998.

Ginny looked at Harry. "We need to talk." she said standing up as everyone else split into separate conversations or went to stretch their legs.

"Yes we do. Shall we go upstairs or outside?" he replied.

"Outside." he nodded and the two walked out to their favourite tree and sat down.

"So... What do you think about Kingsley's request?" Ginny asked.

"I think it's a good idea." he replied. "But there's a lot of complications with us adopting the twins."

"I know what you mean... I want to adopt them but..."

"There's the complication of what we're going to do with both of us returning to school?" Harry suggested. Ginny nodded. "I've been thinking about that too." he admitted, "Maybe our parent's would help. Your Mum loves kids, especially babies. My Mum loves kids too but I'm not sure how well she'd take to them..."

"With their father being the man who killed her and your father." Ginny nodded in understanding. "I'm sure she'd be fine, she doesn't seem like the kind of woman who would judge a child on who their parents are."

"I know but I think we would have to discuss this with them. There's something else." he said, "If we are going to take them then we'd need to work out how we're going to see them at school so they know who we are."

"Minerva might be able to help us. Maybe allow us to leave the school some evenings or allow someone to bring them in to see us."

"True. Do you think we should tell them about their Father if we do take them?"

"No. At least not until their 17 and can understand." Ginny said, "As far as they would know is they are ours, they won't be old enough to remember anything else. As it is, they're only a few hours old now."

"That's what I thought. So we both want to adopt them. Once I've sorted out everything with Gringotts we can go get some furniture and some other stuff like toys or something." Harry smiled. "You know I don't mind not working until they are old enough to go to school so you'd still be able to go into Professional Quidditch if you wanted to."

"Yes but if you will remember what Death said we can't be too far from each other. We'd need to see each other at least every few days to stay focused, if I was away for training or games that is."

"I could always come see you."

"We'll work something out. So are we both agreed that we will adopt the boys?"

"Yes. Now all we need to do is tell Kingsley, I wonder if it will be possible to go see them today and get a few pictures."

"Lets go ask." Ginny smiled. After a quick but passionate kiss the couple headed back towards the Burrow hand in hand.

* * *

><p>WHILE HARRY AND GINNY WERE TALKING.<p>

Lily and Dora were chatting happily away something the Marauders were quick to notice.

"At least we know the wives get along with each other." James muttered to Remus.

"Yes it seems so. I'm glad they do." he replied.

"I feel left out here. I'm the only Marauder that isn't married yet." Sirius complained.

"You have plenty time Pad's. Look at us we're all 21 again in body even if me and you have memories into our 30's." Remus chuckled. "Prongs is the only Marauder who died at 20 so technically is still 20 in every way possible."

"He has a point Padfoot. Me and Lily were talking about that and, she agrees with me, it feels like it was only a few day's ago Harry was a toddler but now he's not, he's 18 already, almost the same age we are now." James sighed. "Soon enough he'll be getting married, getting a job, starting a family ect."

"We know Prongs. You may have missed out a lot of his young and difficult life, but if I know Harry, he's going to make sure you and Lily are a part of the rest of his life as much as possible." Remus smiled. "We know what you mean by saying one day he was a baby and now he's not. The last time I saw Teddy before I died he was only two months old and he couldn't do much except eat, sleep and change his hair to random colours and now he's able to crawl around and explore and he can do so much more. Both me and Dora have agreed on the fact that he will never have to live without us again as long as it's in our power."

"What are you guys looking so depressed about?" Lily asked as she and Dora joined them.

"Padfoot was complaining that he felt left out because he's the only Marauder that's still single." James explained.

"So Moony pointed out I still have plenty of time to settle down even if I'm older on the inside, we're all basically 21 again." Sirius added. "Which is weird."

"It's weird for you, you mean." Lily said. "Technically you, Remus and Dora are older than me and James. We have no memories past the age of 21."

"True but I was only 31 when I died." Dora commented. "10 years seems like a long time but it's not really."

"I'd never have guessed you were 31." Lily mused.

Dora shrugged, "The Metamorphing hid it well, I almost never use my natural form. It's not like I'm afraid of getting older, even though 31 is still young for magical people, but you know what they say. Your only as old as you feel, or look in my case." she grinned.

"I was 35 when I died. 38 for Moony." Sirius added, "So it's weirder for us to be back in our 21-year-old bodies."

"Doesn't that make me feel old." Remus grumbled.

"Oh well you can't complain your too old for me so shut it. 7 years difference never bothered me either." Dora chuckled. "And we're both 21 now."

"Still doesn't help the fact I feel old." he grumbled.

"Give it up Moony. No one ever wins an argument with Nymphadora." Sirius laughed.

"Quit calling me that!" Dora snapped.

"No. I'm your cousin so I'm allowed to and I know it annoys you."

"And who's the one with the wand?" she smirked taking her wand out.

"Okay, okay, I won't call you Nymphadora. Please dont hex me." Sirius raised his hands in surrender.

"That's better." she said putting her wand away as Harry and Ginny walked in. Harry went over to them and Ginny to where her own parents and Kingsley were sitting.

"May I ask why you were threatening my Godfather?" he asked.

"He called her Nymphadora." James chuckled.

"Sirius you're an idiot." Harry smirked. "Everyone knows you never annoy a witch, especially one who's had Auror training and has a wand when you don't."

"Never thought I'd hear a man say anything so smart." Dora giggled, "Sirius, even Harry know's you never annoy a woman."

Sirius rolled his eye's, "Yes ma'am."

"Anyway, Mum, Dad, I need to borrow you for a minute." Harry said, "If you go into the kitchen I'll be two minutes." they nodded and went into the kitchen as asked. "I'll be back once I've talked to them and Ginny's parents." he told those who were still there, he noticed Mr and Mrs Weasley go through to the kitchen followed by Kingsley and Ginny so he went through too.

In the kitchen the four parents were sitting at the table opposite each other looking confused. Kingsley was sitting at the end of the table looking curious and Ginny was standing waiting at the door.

"I'm guessing you never told them the reason they're here?" Harry asked Ginny. She shook her head. "Me neither." he admitted before turning to face the people at the table. "Kingsley, remember what you asked us this morning?" he nodded.

"Our answer will be a yes if our parents would be kind enough to help us." Ginny said looking at her parents then across to Lily and James.

"Help with what?" Arthur asked. "You know if it's within reason and if it's possible we will help you anyway. But we need to know what it is we're supposed to help with."

"Well... This morning you were told about Voldemort's kids... Kingsley asked us if we would consider adopting them... The thing is, there's a lot of complications like what we would do through the school year and we'd need help taking care of them... But we have talked and we've decided we'd like to adopt them." Harry explained.

The four parent's were shocked that their children would take on such a big responsibility.

"I would help. I love children and these kid's don't even know their father." Lily reasoned.

"And they wouldn't know about him for as long as we can help it, or at least until they are 17." Ginny commented.

"I'd also be willing to help. Like Lily said they don't know their father done terrible things.. Including kill us." James frowned, "But we can't hold their parentage against them and they won't know unless someone tells them." he reasoned.

"I don't know... You're both so young... Are you sure you're ready for something like this?" Molly asked worriedly.

"We're sure. We've thought it through, and the only complication we can see is what will happen during the school year." Ginny told her.

"I really don't mind not working until they are ready to go to school." Harry added, "As soon as I sort things with Gringotts things will be fine money-wise."

"True. But are you absolutely sure you want this?" Arthur asked.

"Positive." they both said.

"We were talking during the memories, mind to mind, and we talked when we went outside for some fresh air. We're sure we want this." Ginny added.

"Well... if you're sure then I'll help." Arthur smiled, "Molly what do you think?"

"You've clearly thought this through... I'll help if you promise me that you will tell us if it get's too much. You know Arthur and myself have raised twins before and even we needed help, not just Bill, Charlie and Percy either. Lily and Alice Longbottom both helped occasionally too so if you promise me you will ask for help when you need it then I'll help the best I can." she smiled.

"We promise we will tell you if we need help or if it get's too much." Harry smiled as Ginny nodded. "Kingsley? There was something we were going to ask you." he added.

"Yes?"

"Would it be possible for us to go and see the babies today?" Ginny asked, "And possibly get a few photos?"

Kingsley nodded, "That can be arranged. You do realise it will be up to you to name them?"

"We'd need to think on that a bit." Harry grinned. "But it won't be until I have things sorted out at Gringotts that they'd be able to come live with us anyway. We'd need to get furniture and supplies as well."

"Of course, if you'll excuse me I'll go arrange a visit to St. Mungos, Maternity Ward for you." Kingsley got up and left out the back door where a 'CRACK' of Apparition sounded.

"So... When shall we tell the others we're adopting these twins?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Why not after you've been to see them?" Arthur suggested. "That way you can show everyone photo's of them."

"Sounds good to me. I wasn't going to show any other memories today anyway." Harry shrugged.

"Harry? An owl just came for you." Hermione said walking into the kitchen holding a letter.

Harry took the letter and paled slightly. The envelope had the Gringotts stamp on it and looked very official.

"It's from Gringotts. Ron! Can you come through for a minute." Harry called as the parents went back through to the living room. Ron walked in looking confused, "Gringotts." Harry held the letter up and Ron blanched.

"Do you want me to go?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head. "Stay if you want to, you know what happened anyway." they all took a seat at the table and Harry hesitantly opened the letter and began reading it out loud.

Dear Mr Potter and companions.

We have received your owl and have accepted your request for a meeting with the bank's manager. You will meet him at Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley on the 14th of August at 9pm sharp, one of our bankers will lead the way to the meeting room. If you miss this meeting you won't get another one.

Yours Sincerely,

Landog (Assistant Manager)

Harry finished reading and looked up at the other's.

"Well... At least they're willing to meet us." Hermione sighed.

"I think you should ask Bill for advice on what to say." Ginny said.

"Yeah, he know's Goblins and we don't want to make them more mad with us." Ron agreed. "Shall I go get him?"

"I'll get him." Ginny got up and left. A few minutes later she re-entered pulling a confused looking Bill by the hand.

"Are you going to tell me why you need me?" Bill asked.

"Yes. You know what we done after leaving Shell Cottage a few months ago?" Harry started. Bill nodded.

"We just got a letter from the Goblins agreeing to meet us and we need advice on how to handle them." Hermione explained.

"Ah. I thought it might be something like that." Bill chuckled. "The main point's you need to know is, first off, never lie to them, they can tell and they won't be forgiving."

"We weren't planning on lying to them." Harry told him.

"Well the other thing you will need to do is make sure you never threaten them. Blackmail might work, but you need to be careful. Who is it your meeting?"

"The banks manager, they didn't give a name." Ron told him.

Bill paled, "That's rare, his name is Clanut and he almost never deals with human's. If it's him your meeting you need to watch your manners don't do anything unless your asked and don't talk unless he's asked you to explain something or if he's asked you a question."

"Have you ever met him?" Ginny asked.

Bill nodded, "I met him once and he was one of the sharpest Goblin's I've ever seen. He's the head of the biggest Goblin clan in the world." he explained. "You need to be careful around him." he frowned, "I think he will be fair as long as you tell him the truth about the object you stole. The Goblin's hated the war, they recognise no wizarding master's. If you tell him your reason why you did steal that object then he might let you off easily."

"Do you think it would work if we told him if we hadn't stole that object then the war would still be going on and the bank would still be under Death Eater control." Hermione asked.

Bill looked thoughtful and nodded, "I think that might work."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Ron asked.

Bill shook his head, "Just remember your manners and keep calm, the Goblin's can be infuriating but loosing your temper or patience can ruin everything." he got up and left.

"Well, that shouldn't be to hard to remember." Ron commented. Just then Kingsley walked in from the living room.

"I have your visit arranged. If you're not busy you can go now." he said.

"Thanks Kingsley." Ginny smiled.

"Visit?" Hermione inquired.

"We're going to go see those twins Kingsley told everyone about earlier." Harry explained. "We'll tell you the rest later." Ron and Hermione nodded as they all went into the living room. Harry quickly explained to his parents that he'd be back shortly, Ginny done the same with her's. Kingsley was waiting by the fire for them and one by one they floo'd to St. Mungo's

Upon arriving at the hospital, Kingsley led the two to the Maternity Ward and into a private room where a Mediwitch was standing next to a cot with two bottles of milk in her hand.

"Hello Emily." Kingsley greeted her. "I have young Mr Potter and Miss Weasley here to see the twins."

The Mediwitch, Emily, smiled at him and nodded, "Of course Minister Shacklebolt. I'm Mediwitch Emily McLee, just call me Emily. It's feeding time at the moment. If you like you two can help." she offered Harry and Ginny who nodded slowly and made their way over to the cot.

Ginny gasped when she saw the babies, "Oh my. They're beautiful. And tiny." she looked down at the twins smiling. They both had a little tuft of jet-black hair on their heads and were truly identical to the last detail.

"Do you know what colour eyes they have yet?" Harry asked Emily.

"Yes Mr Potter, it is a little strange but they have two different coloured eyes." she frowned, "It does happen but one eye is brown with green flecked through and the other is green with red flecked through it. It's the same for both boys." she explained.

Harry shared a look with Ginny. _It may be something to do with the connection between me and him, _he said to her through their link.

_It may have been, _she agreed.

Harry nodded to her and picked up the baby closest to him as Ginny picked the other up.

"Here you go." Emily handed a bottle to each of them, "Do you know how to do it properly?"

Harry nodded, "Yes we both have experience thanks to my Godson, Teddy Lupin."

"Oh yes, I remember reading something about that." she smiled as Harry and Ginny started to feed the babies who had woken up to be fed, "People seemed to think he was yours. I never believed it myself." she admitted. "Of course I have met both his parents at one point."

"Yes well the papers do tend to go a little wonky when news of Harry and his friends is printed." Kingsley chuckled, "No matter how often I check something always slips past the screenings."

"Yes but I suppose that after all this time I'm used to it. After all, they have been interested in me and what I'm doing since I was 15." Harry sighed, he paused to burp the baby. _Hey Gin? Any ideas for names? _he asked. Kingsley and Emily left them to bond with the twins.

_A few, _she admitted, _How about Jasper?_

_Yeah I like that. What about for this one?_ he asked.

_I don't know. Have you got any ideas?_

_Umm... Mark or Micheal?_ he suggested.

_Nah... I think it should go well with Jasper. Kind of like how Fred and George's names go well together with the F and G, since they don't rhyme._

_What about Casper then?_

_I like that. Casper and Jasper Potter,_ she giggled, _The only problem is telling them apart._

_We could both tell Fred and George apart, even before George lost his ear. I don't think it will be too hard once they get a little older._

Ginny nodded as the twins simultaneously stopped drinking and yawned one after the other.

"I think their tired." Harry chuckled as the baby he was holding fell asleep. He put him back into the cot with Ginny mirroring him after a moment. Kingsley and Emily walked back in. "They fell asleep." Harry told them.

"Alright. The Minister here just told me you two will be adopting them when you have a few thing sorted out. Have you picked names yet?" Emily asked.

Ginny nodded, "Jasper and Casper Potter."

"We may not be married yet but we will be one day." Harry grinned.

"And it only makes sense to have them take the Potter name." Ginny smiled.

"Right well you need to put their names on their clothes so I know which is which." Emily smiled. Ginny nodded and waved her wand at the baby she had been holding's clothes and the name Jasper appeared on them she then repeated the same with the other making Casper appear on his clothes. "Brilliant, makes it much better than calling them 1 and 2. I'm their personal carer so I'll keep you updated, if anything happens or changes, by owl."

"Thank you. It's appreciated. We will warn you that it might not be until the end of the month that they can come home with us." Harry warned.

"No problem. I don't have any other jobs that need to be done except looking after them."

"Didn't you two want photos to show everyone at the Burrow?" Kingsley asked.

They nodded.

"Oh, here. I took some earlier and some just before you arrived for their files, these are spares you can keep." Emily took out a little brown envelope from a drawer near the door and handed it to Harry. "There's also a few in there with their eyes open."

"Thank you. We better get back to the Burrow. It's almost dinner time already." Ginny said sadly.

"Yeah." Harry agreed looking at the twins.

"You can come back to see them anytime you want. It's a restricted ward but all you have to do is tell the receptionist who you are and walk in. She will be told you are allowed in here." Emily explained kindly. "And I'll take photos every day for you so you can track their progress."

"Thank you, Emily. It will mean a lot to us." Harry smiled. "We will see you later." with that Harry Ginny and Kingsley left to go back to the Burrow.

* * *

><p>AN: I know it seems like a quick decision but I couldn't resist speeding it up a bit.

Any thoughts or opinions on the twins or adoption?

There will be another 5 chapters up tomorrow night as I'm unsure how often I'll be able to get online during Christmas break, which starts next Wednesday for me, so expect a lot more chapters within this week :-)

Review please x


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 60 - The Announcement.

9th, August, 1998.

At the Burrow everyone had just finished eating dinner and Harry stood up with Ginny.

"Everyone, we have something to tell you." Ginny started nervously.

"You are all aware that earlier today two babies, Voldemort's babies, were born and their mother died." Harry continued.

"Kingsley asked us if we would be willing to adopt them as they can't go to an orphanage after how their father turned out."

"Well after quite a bit of thought we have decided that we will adopt them. After a few thing have been sorted out that is." Harry finished.

"Your adopting Voldemort's kids?" Ron asked. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Of course. Voldemort was raised in an orphanage and look what happened. Now that we're taking them, the chance of them going dark when their older is reduced to almost nothing." Ginny explained.

"With you two raising them they can't possibly be dark." Hermione smiled.

"Mum your letting them?" Charlie asked Molly incredulously.

"I had my doubts at first." she admitted. "But they both know how to take care of children and these two babies will need all the love and support they can get."

"They won't be told who their real father is until the are 17 or unless someone tells them. We don't plan on letting that happen." Harry added.

"Well I guess that's it then." Bill smiled, "You two will officially be parent's before me and Fleur, which is odd considering the age difference. All I can say is if you need help, don't hesitate to ask and we're happy for you." Fleur nodded smiling.

"Hear! Hear!" the rest of the room cheered.

"So is that where you went? To see them?" Percy asked.

Harry nodded taking the envelope of pictures out and passing the photo's around. "We got these from their main healer to show you."

A few gasp's rang through the room, "Oh, they're so cute. You would never have thought they would be that cute with how their father looked." Hermione commented making the others nod.

"Hermione you know Riddle didn't always look like a snake." Ginny pointed out, "Remember what he looked like at 16?" Hermione nodded sheepishly.

"What's up with their eye's?" Lily asked. Harry moved to where she was sitting and looked at the picture she was holding.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "That is odd. They never opened their eyes when we were in but they're carer explained it to us. She said one eye was brown with red going through and the other was green with red through it." he explained, "We don't know why. My guess is it's a mix of Voldemort and who ever their mother was. There's more but it can only be explained after my 4th or 5th year has been shown."

"Do you have names for them yet?" Neville asked curiously.

"Yes. We decided on Jasper and Casper Potter." Ginny grinned.

"Those are nice names." Luna smiled.

"Their completely identical." Fred sounded shocked.

"They are." Harry agreed.

"I think this will be interesting." George commented. "Even though people can tell me and Fred apart now that I only have one ear..."

"They couldn't when he had both ears." Fred finished.

"Yes well, even when George had both ears some of us could tell you apart." Ginny chuckled, "Like me and Harry."

"Even if I couldn't tell you apart completely until the end of my 3rd year." Harry added.

"Yeah I've always wondered how you could do that. Most of us got confused and we're their brothers." Charlie frowned.

"We're not telling you how we did it. But we will tell you to pay closer attention to how they acted." Ginny smirked, "I figured it out when I was 5 so you should be able to work it out by the time we finish the memories."

"You had to give them a hint Gin-Gin." Fred pouted.

"They'll figure it out in no time." George groaned.

"So there was a way to tell you apart?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"Yes there was a way to tell us apart. Should we just tell them?" Fred asked his twin.

"No lets let them figure it out." he smirked, "It's more fun that way."

"Anyway, when are you bringing Casper and Jasper home?" Dora asked.

"It won't be until we have a few things sorted out announcing your return for a start." Harry smiled.

"The article you wrote will be in the papers first thing in the morning." Kingsley grinned. "And the one about Sirius's innocence will be in right next to it, both on the front page."

"Which means that once we've covered my 3rd year then we will have to have a public appearance at the ministry." Harry grumbled. "Otherwise people will think its a lie."

"Fair enough. As long as no one tries to curse me." Sirius muttered.

"They won't as long as you stay next to Harry, Ron or me." Hermione said, "No one would dare throw a curse or anything unfriendly our way if they know what's good for them."

"And if they don't want arrested." Ron chuckled. "That's what happened to the last person that tried to curse one of us. They don't realise that if you take on one of us you take on the three of us."

"Yeah and that usually leads to the person getting arrested." Ginny smirked. "And of course after your return is announced we have to do a few more things before the twins come home." she added as the pictures made they're way to her or Harry again.

"So it will probably be around the end of the month that they come home. But as long as you're with Ginny or myself we can take you to see them." Harry explained. "They're on a restricted ward so its limited access but the receptionist has been told to allow us in."

"That's fair enough. They will need to get to know you." Molly nodded. "And you will need to get to know them too."

"Yeah. Babies can be fussy around people they don't know that well." Dora sighed looking down at Teddy who was playing with his wolf on the floor near her chair. "Remember Teddy wouldn't come to me or Remus unless he was asked to for the first few days after we returned."

"He's better now." Andy reminded her, "He goes to you and Remus almost as much as Harry or me."

"And he wouldn't go anywhere near Draco or Cissy to start with, at least not without letting everyone know he wasn't happy." Harry chuckled.

"Unhappy is an understatement." Draco snorted, "I think I went deaf the first time he met me."

"I think we all did." Cissy laughed. "Quite a set of lungs on him."

"Oh that would have been the metamorphing. He probably subconsciously made it so he could scream louder, I used to do that when I was younger and when I was arguing." Dora explained.

"Yes you did." Andy frowned, "I swear you were doing it on purpose."

"Nope. I wasn't able to tell when I did it." Dora smirked. "At least not until I was 11, then I was doing it on purpose. It helped win a lot of arguments."

"It probably did." James agreed, "I remember a few times you won arguments against Padfoot when you were like 8. Those were fun to watch."

"And here I thought it was harder to win an argument with Sirius." Regulus chuckled, "Really Sirius, you let her win an argument when she was 8?"

Sirius groaned but nodded, "Yes, she won that argument."

"I always win argument's against you." Dora grinned smugly. "You always back down."

"It's true Paddy." Remus chuckled. "I've seen you two arguing and Dora always wins."

"Oh well." Sirius shrugged, "Better backing down than getting hexed."

"Never stopped you when we were arguing with Lily." James grinned.

"I would have hexed you anyway." Lily admitted, "You were both annoying prats who deserved it."

James pouted, Lily just smiled sweetly at him.

"Don't try to deny it Prongs. You know she's right." Remus scoffed. "I had been telling you for years." James glared at him.

"Who's side are you on Moony?" Sirius questioned.

"The same side I have always been. The side that doesn't annoy Lily into hexing me." he replied.

"Which is a very good side to be on." Arthur smirked. "You should never annoy a red-headed witch." Molly whacked the back of his head. "Sorry dear." everyone snickered. "I meant a very talented witch."

Molly just smiled fondly at him.

Harry's head suddenly turned towards the door.

"What is it Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I heard something outside. It sounded odd, like a crunching noise." he explained. "I'm going to see what it is." he walked out the back door before anyone could stop him.

A few minutes later he walked back in looking amused.

"What was it?" Ron asked.

"Not what. Who." he replied, "It was Snow. He crunched up a skull from the rabbit he caught while hunting. He and Pig are sharing it."

"Oh good, they're getting along then." Dudley commented.

"Yeah. Pig isn't big enough to catch anything bigger than a very small mouse so I suppose Snow decided to share with him." Ginny giggled.

"Yeah Snow wouldn't be able to eat a whole rabbit himself." Hermione agreed. "He's still too young and small, but when he get's bigger he'll probably be able to."

"I'm amazed you heard that though." Remus commented. "Even we never heard it." he said, clearly meaning the other Lycan's.

"It's more of a habit for me. I'm constantly listening for anything out of the ordinary, especially since the end of the war, there's still Death Eaters and people who want me dead out there so I'm always listening." Harry explained. "Not that I expect or want to be attacked but you never know." he shrugged.

"Your just paranoid." Ron told him.

"Better paranoid than dead." Harry retorted.

"As long as you're not as paranoid as Mad-Eye was it's a good point." Kingsley chuckled.

"I don't think I'd go that far." Harry smirked. "That was just a bit much."

"Harry I reckon you should brush up on your magic soon." Hermione said suddenly. "With your new power level it could be tricky for you to not over-charge your spell's."

"I hadn't even thought about that. Your right I should probably make sure I know how much power to put into spell's to avoid accidents." he agreed.

"I can tell you one thing." James said, "Your stunners could kill. Mine almost have in the past, it was before I learned how to reduce the power behind them." he explained. "Same with all offensive and defensive spells."

"Why don't we start now? It's only 6.30 and it's still light outside." Harry suggested. Everyone agreed and they all went out to the back garden, Dora taking Teddy and Amber taking Cecelia, and found places to sit while James transfigured a dummy from a stone wandlessly gaining gasps from the watchers.

"How on earth... I swear you couldn't do that last time I saw you Prongs." Sirius frowned.

"I had to have something to do locked up in Godrics Hollow." he shrugged, "I mostly worked on transfiguration, that was my best subject after all." he grinned, "Anyone can learn wandless magic if they have the concentration and if they believe it will work."

"True." Lily nodded, "I managed to learn summoning objects in a month or two."

"Most of the spells I know I can do wandessly too." Amber admitted, "It's a little slower but it's better being able to do it and not need it than it is not knowing and needing it."

"That's what I thought when I started learning." James nodded, "Right Harry try fire a stunner at the dummy." he instructed while Remus put a shield around everyone watching for protection. "Thank you Moony, there's a chance this thing might explode." he explained.

Harry stood in front of the dummy and took his wand out. "Stupefy." he said aiming at the dummy, a red light burst from his wand and hit the dummy in the middle of its chest. As James had said the dummy exploded and all that was left of it was a few bits of stuffing.

"Oop's." James chuckled, "Don't worry that happened with me too." he transfigured another dummy, "Try easing up on the power a little."

Harry nodded looking a little red in the face, "Stupefy." he watched as the red light hit the dummy again. The dummy didn't explode this time but it flew back several feet.

James nodded, "That's closer, but maybe a little less again." he suggested, he summoned the dummy back and put it where it had been.

"Right a little less than last time." Harry muttered, "Stupefy." this time when the light hit the dummy it was only moved back a few meters.

"That's it." James cheered. "Try it a few more times so you can memorize how much power to use." Harry nodded and did as he had said. After 6 times hitting the dummy with the same amount of power he stopped.

"I've got it." he grinned. "Let's try a few more spells."

James nodded and the two continued to work on the other spell's Harry used more often in a duel.

Meanwhile the people watching were amazed.

"He's picking it up quite fast isn't he?" Minerva said.

"Faster than any other thing we've learned." Hermione agreed frowning, "I wonder why."

"Do you think it could have been something to do with what Death gave us. Remember he did say 'Knowledge'." Ginny said, "We haven't figured out what that means yet."

"It's possible." Remus agreed. "It could mean you pick things up easier and learn faster."

Hermione frowned, "Ginny what would you say if I asked you what you think it meant?"

Ginny's eyes went unfocused as though she was thinking, "I would say it means when someone asks us a specific question or if we need to know something we know the answer without thinking about it, we'll also pick things up quicker." she said in an odd voice. "And I have no idea how I know that." she added in her normal voice.

Hermione grinned, "Well that answered my question. I think that's exactly what Death meant to happen. the things you mentioned tie in with what 'Knowledge' means. You probably automatically know answers to questions without having to learn it from somewhere."

"Cool." Ginny grinned watching as Harry turned the legs of the dummy into jelly.

Teddy who had been sitting on the ground with his wolf crawled over to Ron and lifted his arms to get picked up.

"Hello Teddy." Ron smiled, the boy smiled back at him and looked at where Harry was now casting 'Reducto' on the dummy making it explode.

"Unca Ron. Boom!" Teddy yelled happily pointing at the dummy which had exploded at that moment.

"Yes. Boom!" Ron laughed making an exploding noise. Teddy clapped happily.

"I would say young Teddy here likes explosions." Fred grinned.

"Well he likes it when things explode so yes, he does like explosions." Andy chuckled.

"As long as he's not the one causing them, I'm fine with it." Remus chuckled, Dora nodded in agreement.

"The last thing we need is for him to start making everything explode." she laughed.

"We think he just likes the noise." Molly said, "He used to laugh when George made things explode."

George nodded, "I was working on some fireworks for the shop and one or two backfired, if Teddy was over visiting he would laugh at the noise, even if he couldn't see the explosion itself." he explained.

"And why did the fireworks backfire?" Fred asked.

"I kept getting the measurements wrong. I couldn't find our notes."

"They were in the files under my bed at our flat. In a big box labeled 'Fireworks', it was pretty hard to miss." Fred chuckled.

"Urgh, I never even thought to check there." George groaned.

"You make your own fireworks?" Petunia asked.

"Yeah they're better than ordinary ones too." Fred nodded.

"They really are." Bill agreed, "You two actually made better fireworks better than Fillibusters."

"Why thank you Bill." they said together pretending to be embarrassed.

"It's the truth." Charlie agreed with Bill, "Ol' Fillibuster has nothing compared to you two."

This time the twins really did blush.

"What's up with you two?" Arthur asked, "Your not normally ones to blush at a compliment."

"It's just... for years everyone was telling us it was a stupid idea to open our own joke shop..." George started.

"Ron, Harry and Ginny were the only ones who openly supported us about it to start with..." Fred continued.

"To hear that people think we're better than Fillibuster..."

"It's just crazy." they finished together.

"Their right... None of us supported their ideas or believed in them to start with." Percy frowned. "We should have, but we didn't. Sorry Fred, George."

"Yes sorry boy's." Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie said.

"It's fine." they smiled.

"We know it sounded far-fetched when we first told you our ideas." George admitted.

"But you're nothing if not determined to prove people wrong." Ginny giggled. "Kind of like Harry, Ron and Hermione."

Ron and Hermione pouted, Ron still had Teddy on his knee and the little boy was watching Harry practice a few charms.

"And what does that mean Ginny?" Ron asked.

"You proved over and over again that you weren't normal teenagers, you have achieved the impossible plenty of times. You normally prove people wrong by doing things like getting past the protections on the philosopher's stone, those were designed to keep adults out and you three were 11 and still got through." she explained.

"It's true." Minerva nodded, "You shouldn't have been able to get past those protections, but you did."

"As for Fred and George, not many people believed their shop would be successful but now its one of the most popular shops around." Ginny grinned.

"True." Ron admitted as Teddy shrieked happily at another explosion caused by Harry.

James joined the group and flopped down onto the grass looking exhausted.

"You okay James?" Lily asked.

"Fine." he panted, "Just forgot how draining wandless magic is."

Teddy squirmed down from Ron's knee and crawled over to James, "Unca Pr-on-gs." he smiled, poking James's shoulder. "W'key, w'key l'zy."

"I think he's trying to say 'wakey, wakey lazy'." Remus chuckled. James sat up and Teddy clapped happily. "Yup. That's what he meant."

Harry joined them at that point, he looked a little tired but not as much as James.

Teddy looked at him. "Unca Har." he held his arms out and Harry picked him up with a smile, "Unca Pr-on-gs l'zy." he said honestly, pointing at James. Harry looked confused.

"He's calling James lazy." Amber explained while bouncing Cecelia in her arms.

Harry nodded, "Why's Uncle Prong's lazy Teddy?"

"L'zy, d'wn." the boy giggled.

"I'm not lazy." James pouted.

"L'zy, l'zy." Teddy giggled.

"Sorry Dad. You can't argue with him, if he says you're lazy then, to him, your lazy." Harry laughed. "There's no point arguing. He's too stubborn. Especially this close to the full moon."

"What does that have to do with it?" Remus asked warily.

"Oh he just gets moody around the full moon. He argues with everyone and he gets really clingy to people, usually Harry." Ginny explained, "He refuses to eat much as well but that's all."

"And he tests negative for the werewolf gene." Andy added. "I tested it myself. He won't ever transform if that's what your worried about."

"Thank Merlin." Remus sighed. "I would have hated him having to go through what I used to."

"Well he never will." Dora smiled. "So we don't need to worry." Remus smiled at her as Teddy fell asleep on Harry's shoulder.

"You know, if I didn't know better I'd think that he think's I'm a pillow." Harry chuckled. "He always falls asleep if I'm holding him."

"Speaking of falling asleep, I believe it's time for bed." Molly said and everyone either went home or up to bed for the night.

* * *

><p>I should mention it might not be until Part 2 of GFD that the twins are brought home from hospital, but they will be mentionedvisited a couple times before that point.

To clear up any confusion about the twins eyes, I was picturing the left eye's of both babies as brown with green flecks, and the right eye's would be green with red flecks, so they've got a brown and green left eye and green and red right eye. The flecks are noticeable at all times. Hope this helps, if not then leave a review and I'll try to explain it better!

Review please x


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62 - Full Moon Fever.

10th, August, Tuesday, 1998.

The next morning after breakfast almost everyone was in the living room.

"Where's Harry, Ron, Neville, Dudley, Draco, Astoria, Hermione, Luna, Petunia and Remus?" Molly asked the others in the room.

"No idea." James frowned just as the mentioned people walked in.

"Where have you lot been?" Amber asked Dudley.

"Talking." he muttered.

"It's the full moon tonight. We can all feel it now and we're feeling a little restless." Harry explained.

"I think you should try burn some energy." Dora commented. "It always helped me to duel someone or a training dummy in the Auror training room when I was feeling restless."

"It might work." Remus nodded.

"Wrestling in the garden anyone?" Ron suggested, "We can use our wolf forms, it might help."

They all nodded and headed outside.

"Fancy a fight Paddy?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Sure." he shrugged.

"Just remember your strength." Harry warned, "Lycan's have advanced healing but Sirius doesn't." Remus nodded as he and Sirius changed into Moony and Padfoot and started playing around. The other Lycan's changed into their wolf forms to and Misty decided to tackle Shadow starting their playfight.

Soon the other's started playing as well.

"Hello... Well this is interesting. I didn't know you had a garden full of wolves running around Molly." Kingsley chuckled having just arrived with Minerva beside him.

"They were feeling restless so decided to try to burn some energy." Arthur explained.

"That's right it's the full moon tonight isn't it?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah." Fred nodded.

Padfoot barked at Moony when Moony got distracted by a garden gnome before they both started chasing it around the garden.

"Easily amused those two aren't they?" Amber asked, watching her brother and his Padfoot running around.

"Of course. Moony has always been harder to amuse though." James said, "He was always the one who needed to relax a little and just have fun. I've not seen him like this since we were 12, obviously he couldn't turn into a wolf at will then but he would never fully relax unless it was just me and Padfoot with him." he explained.

"I noticed that." Dora nodded, "He's relaxed a lot more since your return, even before Sirius died he was more reserved."

"Remus never really trusted anyone fully since the first war." Molly sighed. "I can understand that. On one night everyone he loved was torn away from him. When he was just getting used to having Sirius around again, Sirius was killed. I think he was afraid to love anyone because he feared they would be killed to or that they would leave and never come back."

"I never thought of that. Poor Moony." James sighed.

"It took me a year to get him to admit he loved me." Dora sighed, "I think your right Molly, I think he was afraid."

"A lot like Harry in that respect then." Arthur commented. "Remember Molly? He wouldn't tell anyone anything except Ginny, Ron and Hermione because he was afraid that if we knew we would hate him or abandon him?"

Molly nodded sadly, "That was just after the war." she explained to those who didn't know, "He distanced himself from everyone except those three. Especially Ron and Hermione." she watched as Shadow was pinned by Misty.

"It's understandable with what he's been through, even if we don't like it." George commented.

James and Lily shared worried looks.

"We don't know the whole story so we can't tell you how bad it was." Charlie admitted, "But by the way Harry was acting it was as if he kept expecting to be yelled at or hexed every time he said something. So we just let him know we'd be here and that we'd never hurt him and he slowly relaxed a bit more." he explained.

"He was playing the guilt trip again, wasn't he?" Fred asked.

"Yes." Arthur nodded, "He felt responsible for all the deaths in the war."

"Did he do that often?" Regulus asked, "The whole 'everything-is-my-fault' thing?"

"Yeah he did." Percy told them. "You remember how he said he'd done a runner before?" they nodded, "Part of that was guilt. He felt guilty that he couldn't kill Voldemort earlier than he did so he ran to where he thought no one would find him."

"Fortunately for us, Hermione was able to find a loophole in the order Harry had given Kreacher." Molly smiled, "He had told Kreacher to not let anyone know where he was." she explained, "But he never said anything about family. Hermione, Ron and Ginny convinced him that we are all Harry's family, even if we're not related through blood."

"Kreacher wasn't like that at all. He hated listening to anyone who wasn't a Black." Regulus frowned.

"We don't know what Harry did to him, but he's much nicer to everyone. He doesn't even insult Hermione." Arthur said.

"It must have been something to do with respect." Dora said, "He wouldn't listen to Sirius or I but from what we've heard he listens to Harry perfectly."

"Oh he does." Minerva nodded, "Sometimes he helps at Hogwarts and the other elves say he's changed a lot since Sirius died."

"I'd like to know what they did." Regulus sighed looking at Shadow who was being chased by Misty, Paws and Smokey, "I knew Kreacher best and he wouldn't obey someone he didn't trust and respect completely."

Padfoot trotted over to where James was sitting and nudged his stomach. James nodded at him and stood up.

"What's he doing?" Dora asked.

"Playing." Lily smiled as James turned into a beautiful stag and started lowering his antlers playfully. "Prongs and Padfoot always wrestle. Kingsley, will they get in trouble for becoming illegal Animagi?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, Sirius has already paid the price and James will only have to register. James can say he achieved it the night he died or maybe even a few days after you all returned and he was going to register the next day. It may not be true but I feel you have been through enough." he explained, then shrugged, "Or they can talk around it, not tell the public until they decide they want to. But they won't be in trouble, they just have to register and I'll put their details as Minister only so not just anyone can get the information, the rest is up to them really." he told her.

"Thank you, it's appreciated." she smiled.

"No problem." he replied as Shadow walked over to them and flopped down panting. "Tired?"

Shadow shook his head and licked his lips.

"Here." Cissy conjured a bowl and filled it with water. Shadow nodded and drank it gratefully before nodding again and running back to playfight with Paws.

"Their like overgrown puppies." Andy chuckled. "Or rather cub's."

"The teen's don't surprise me but Remus and Petunia certainly do." Lily commented. "Especially Petunia, I don't think I've ever seen her get so involved in playing since we were 9." Celena was playing a game of tag with Falcon.

Snowstorm and Crystal walked over and changed into Draco and Astoria.

"You were right, we don't feel as restless now." Draco said to Dora.

"Even if all we could do was run around." Astoria smiled putting a hand on her stomach.

"Have you worked out when your due?" Minerva asked, "If I'm not mistaken your child will be born a Lycan as you were changed after you got pregnant, and I'm sure Death said Lycan's were only pregnant for 6 months instead of 9."

"Hmm... Well I was due in June." Astoria frowned in thought, "So I suppose it will be December now." she smiled.

"I never even thought of that." Draco sighed, "I probably should have though." he admitted as Bill and Fleur arrived.

"Hello. What are they doing?" Fleur asked nodding towards the wolves.

Draco explained about the full moon making them feel a little restless.

"Oh, that makes sense. I took a mild Calming Draught before we left." Bill told them, "It helped a bit."

After a few minutes of watching the wolves, and Padfoot and Prongs, playing most of them had turned back to human and joined the others watching. Only Shadow, Misty, Smokey and Paws were still play fighting and seemed not to notice everyone else had stopped.

"Do you think we should tell them that everyone has stopped?" Remus asked.

"Let them have their fun. It's good for them to relax." Arthur replied.

"As Harry said last night he's been on edge and constantly on the lookout for danger since the end of the war, the other three may not have noticed but they've been jumpy too." Neville added.

"They haven't noticed they have been jumpy." Luna agreed. "We all have. But those four have it worse than most."

"It could be something to do with the fact that there's still Death Eater's loose." Kingsley sighed, "We just can't find them. It's like they've vanished."

"Do you know how many there are?" Dudley asked.

"At least 25." Draco said, "Most of them are stupid, but with a leader..."

"They can be a threat." Kingsley nodded. "We think Yaxley is leading them but we can't be sure unless they make a move."

"Which they probably will do, eventually." Cissy frowned. "Especially if Yaxley is leading them."

"Oh well, we can worry about that later." Kingsley decided as the four wolves joined them before turning back to human.

Harry had a scratch down the side of his face which was fading slowly and Ron had a little cut on the back of his neck that was also healing. Amazingly the girls never had a scratch on them.

"Much better." Harry grinned, "Is everyone else feeling better now?" all the Lycan's nodded and Bill explained to those who didn't know that he'd taken a mild calming draught and it helped a lot.

"Hmm... That's a good thing to remember for the future." Hermione commented.

"It is." Ginny agreed.

"Are we continuing the memories today?" Dora asked Harry while picking Teddy up off the ground where he had been playing.

"Yes. We can start now if you like." he replied. Everyone agreed and headed inside.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 62 - Third Year (Part 4.5)

10th, August, 1998.

"Right we're starting from where we finished. Just after the attack on the Fat Lady." Harry smirked.

**Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.**

"We weren't told what had happened." Astoria explained. "Professor Snape just came and told us to go to the Great Hall and to not ask questions."

"We weren't told either." Luna agreed.

"The Hufflepuffs weren't told either." Minerva told them, "We all felt it was better not to have the three other houses panicking or asking questions all the way down to the Great Hall." she shrugged.

"Which would've happened if they'd known." Molly smiled.

**"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."**

**Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."**

**One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.**

**"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.**

"Awesome. Sleepover in the Great Hall." James grinned.

**The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.**

"I think that's one of the few times a Slytherin was actually talking to a Gryffindor without them hexing each other." Astoria mused.

"I can't even think about any other times." Draco admitted.

"Mostly it was 'Oy! You over there! Your beliefs displease me so I'm going to hex you into a puddle'." Ginny smirked, "It got ridiculous at some points."

"It was usually the Gryffindor's who started it." Draco pointed out, "Slytherin's would insult them and then they'd start a duel."

"Slytherin's started it a few times." Harry disagreed, "I know at least half of them were looking for a fight."

"There is a reason we made sure the two houses had another house in between them." Minerva put in before they could start arguing about it, "To stop any fights."

"Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's never really started arguments and Slytherin's usually left us alone." Luna smiled.

"True." Regulus nodded, "That's how it was when I was still in school too, it was mostly Gryffindor and Slytherin that fought. It was rare for the other two houses to be fighting with anyone."

"That seemed to stay like that but there was a few more inter house fights." Astoria sighed, "All four eventually started arguing but when it came down to it Slytherin's were left to fend for themselves because the other three houses joined together and fought the last."

"History repeated it's self in a way." James frowned, "With Harry being descended from three founders, being in Gryffindor, and then defeating the heir of Slytherin, it was like Godric Gryffindor defeating Salazar Slytherin all over again."

"Never thought of it that way. And now we'll be raising Slytherin's heirs." Harry mused.

"Meaning they'll be Parseltounges." Ginny nodded, "Good thing we can understand it now."

Harry nodded and they all turned back to the memory.

**"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"**

**"C'mon," Ron said to Harry and Hermione; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.**

**"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.**

"I left immediately." Sirius said, "I didn't want to get caught."

**"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.**

**"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower..."**

"I knew what I was doing." Sirius smirked, "I knew the tower would be empty. I was just after..."

"Shh." Harry hissed at him.

"Something." Sirius finished anyway, "C'mon Harry, I'm not stupid enough to give it away."

**"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."**

"I don't think he'd be that stupid." Remus chuckled, "He knew if I saw him or got a clear trace of his scent he'd be caught."

Sirius nodded. "Add to that, I knew it was Halloween, I never forgot. Couldn't forget." he sighed, James patted his shoulder sympathetically.

**Hermione shuddered.**

**All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"**

"If Dumbledore doesn't know where the secret passages are, you probably got in that way." James said.

"Actually I jumped through an open window on the bottom floor." Sirius chuckled.

"I had all the passages being monitored for anyone coming in." Remus nodded, "I just couldn't tell if anyone was leaving." he added giving Harry a stern look, which was ignored.

**"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know."**

**"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.**

**"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.**

**"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron.**

"Yeah you, Lily and Moony." Sirius said, causing Lily to glare at him, Remus to hit him and Hermione to smile, looking amused.

**"Probably," said Ron. "Why?"**

**"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages,"**

"No he doesn't." James said.

**"they'll have them covered..."**

"Nope. I had them covered and no one entered the castle that way." Remus smiled.

**"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"**

"Did you honestly expect everyone to listen to you?" Minerva asked, "They wouldn't have listened to anyone after something that big happened."

"It was worth a try." Percy shrugged, "And they half-listened."

**The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Harry felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a light wind.**

**Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Harry watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer.**

**"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.**

**"No. All well here?"**

**"Everything under control, sir."**

**"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."**

**"And the Fat Lady, sir?"**

**"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."**

**Harry heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.**

**"Headmaster?" It was Snape. Harry kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."**

**"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"**

**"All searched..."**

**"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."**

**"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.**

**Harry raised his head very slightly off his arms to free his other ear.**

**"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."**

**Harry opened his eyes a fraction and squinted up to where they stood; Dumbledore's back was to him, but he could see Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry.**

**"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before - ah - the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.**

**"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.**

**"It seems - almost impossible - that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed -"**

**"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore,**

"Snape thought I was helping Sirius in." Remus explained, rolling his eyes.

**and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."**

**"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.**

**"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."**

**Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left.**

**Harry glanced sideways at Ron and Hermione. Both of them had their eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling.**

**"What was all that about?" Ron mouthed.**

**The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.**

"No" Sirius said laughing, "But they had the right idea."

**The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.**

**"He's a complete lunatic," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?"**

**"None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."**

"Crazy enough is more like it." James said.

**Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of Harry's worries. He was now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with him, and Percy Weasley (acting, Harry suspected, on his mother's orders) was tailing him everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog.**

"Your right I was." Percy chuckled. "Sorry Harry."

Harry smiled. "It's fine, just a bit annoying having everyone watching me. The teachers following me was worse."

Minerva chuckled, "Sorry Harry, it was Albus who told us to keep you in sight when you were walking around the castle."

"I know it was for my safety. At least it wasn't a dementor escorting me everywhere." he shuddered.

**To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned Harry into her office, with such a somber expression on her face Harry thought someone must have died.**

"I'm not after Harry!" Sirius shouted.

"We didn't know that." Remus pointed out. "For all we knew you could have been after him. Or me." he added.

Sirius pouted but nodded, seeing Remus's point.

**"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potter," she said in a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black -"**

**"I know he's after me," said Harry wearily. "I heard Ron's dad telling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic."**

**Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, then said, "I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter -"**

**"We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged. "I've got to train, Professor!"**

**Professor McGonagall considered him intently. Harry knew she was deeply interested in the Gryffindor team's prospects; it had been she, after all, who'd suggested him as Seeker in the first Place.**

**He waited, holding his breath.**

**"Hmm..." Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well... goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last... but all the same, Potter... I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions."**

**The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news.**

**"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."**

"Malfoy." James said.

"It wasn't me that time." Draco disagreed, "Flint just didn't want the team flying in the bad weather. He just used my arm as an excuse."

**"Why?" chorused the rest of the team.**

**"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances..."**

**There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, they heard a distant rumble of thunder.**

**"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Harry furiously. "He's faking it!"**

**"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly, "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory -"**

Harry flinched slightly at the name but only Ginny noticed and she took his hand comfortingly.

**Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled.**

**"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.**

**"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina.**

**"Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again.**

**"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently.**

"He wasn't!" Fleur and Harry exclaimed.

"I know that now." Fred told them, "Mainly trying to get Oliver to hurry up with his game plan since he usually took up to an hour and didn't need to get annoyed with our Chasers."

George nodded, "We knew he'd fancied Katie for years and he didn't need to get jealous because Katie complimented a member of a rival team."

**"I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"**

**"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"**

"Oliver's even more obsessed than Prongs." Remus observed.

"Hey!" James complained, "I wasn't that bad."

"Yes you were." Sirius scoffed. "When you were captain even I got sick of talking about Quidditch."

**"Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. Seriously."**

**The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy.**

**"Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows.**

**Harry had no room in his head to worry about anything except the match tomorrow. Oliver Wood kept hurrying up to him between classes and giving him tips. The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long that Harry suddenly realized he was ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and set off at a run with Wood shouting after him, "Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him -"**

**Harry skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside.**

**"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I -"**

**But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teacher's desk; it was Snape.**

"Oh no." Sirius said, "Where are you?"

"It was a full moon. Remember Snape making that potion?" Remus said. Then he laughed suddenly, "Harry, Ron and Hermione will probably think Snape killed me." he added.

"We did." Harry confirmed, "Well, Ron and I did. Hermione didn't."

"I didn't think Snape would poison you. Even if he hated you." Hermione shrugged, "Especially not in front of Harry."

**"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."**

**But Harry didn't move.**

**"Where's Professor Lupin?" he said.**

**"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"**

**But Harry stayed where he was.**

**"What's wrong with him?"**

**Snape's black eyes glittered.**

**"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were.**

"Git." Sirius said.

**"Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."**

**Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class.**

**"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far -"**

**"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start -"**

**"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."**

"I did leave notes." Remus protested. "He's lying."

**"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.**

"Told you Remus. You were the best official teacher we ever had." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you." Remus grinned.

**"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you - I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss -"**

"Those creatures would have been too difficult for first years." Luna said.

**Harry watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.**

**"- werewolves," said Snape.**

Sirius and James let out yells of outrage and Remus frowned.

**"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks -"**

**"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"**

**With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.**

**"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.**

**Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air.**

**"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between -"**

"Hermione has her hand raised and I haven't gotten that far yet." Remus protested.

"Your probably hoping you won't get that far." Sirius said.

"Your right." Remus admitted, "I would have had someone else do that class or I would have skipped it altogether." he blushed.

**"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on -"**

**"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."**

**"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf -"**

**"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."**

"She's just answering your questions! Why ask if you don't want an answer?" James said.

**Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"**

"Exactly!" James shouted.

**The class knew instantly he'd gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath.**

**"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."**

**No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.**

**"Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia"**

Remus frowned, "Kappas are Japanese water demons, Snape's wrong."

**"... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three..."**

"Yes but Remus isn't a cruel bastard." Dora muttered, covering Teddy's ears when she swore.

**When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.**

**"You will each write an essay,"**

"He can't assign homework, he's only filling in." Minerva said.

**"to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves."**

They all shouted their protest.

**"I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."**

**Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.**

**"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to Hermione. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the Boggart?"**

**"I don't know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon..."**

**Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage.**

**"D'you know what that -" (he called Snape something that made Hermione say "Ron!") "- is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!" He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"**

Sirius laughed, "I may have hated him but I wouldn't go that far. I was trying to prove I didn't kill anyone."

**Harry woke extremely early the next morning; so early that it was still dark. For a moment he thought the roaring of the wind had woken him. Then he felt a cold breeze on the back of his neck and sat bolt upright - Peeves the Poltergeist had been floating next to him, blowing hard in his ear.**

**"What did you do that for?" said Harry furiously. Peeves puffed out his cheeks, blew hard, and zoomed backward out of the room, cackling.**

**Harry fumbled for his alarm clock and looked at it. It was half past four. Cursing Peeves, he rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was very difficult, now that he was awake, to ignore the sounds of the thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In a few hours he would be out on the Quidditch field, battling through that gale. Finally, he gave up any thought of more sleep, got up, dressed, picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand, and walked quietly out of the dormitory.**

**As Harry opened the door, something brushed against his leg. He bent down just in time to grab Crookshanks by the end of his bushy tail and drag him outside.**

**"You know, I reckon Ron was right about you," Harry told Crookshanks suspiciously. "There are plenty of mice around this place - go and chase them. Go on," he added, nudging Crookshanks down the spiral staircase with his foot. "Leave Scabbers alone."**

**The noise of the storm was even louder in the common room. Harry knew better than to think the match would be canceled; Quidditch matches weren't called off for trifles like thunderstorms. Nevertheless, he was starting to feel very apprehensive. Wood had pointed out Cedric Diggory to him in the corridor; Diggory was a fifth year and a lot bigger than Harry. Seekers were usually light and speedy, but Diggory's weight would be an advantage in this weather because he was less likely to be blown off course.**

**Harry whiled away the hours until dawn in front of the fire, getting up every now and then to stop Crookshanks from sneaking up the boys' staircase again. At long last Harry thought it must be time for breakfast, so he headed through the portrait hole alone.**

**"Stand and fight, you mangy cur!" yelled Sir Cadogan.**

**"Oh, shut up," Harry yawned.**

They all laughed.

**He revived a bit over a large bowl of porridge, and by the time he'd started on toast, the rest of the team had turned up.**

**"It's going to be a tough one," said Wood, who wasn't eating anything.**

**"Stop worrying, Oliver," said Alicia soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain."**

**But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. Just before he entered the locker room, Harry saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at him from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium.**

**The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Wood's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. He tried to speak several times, made an odd gulping noise, then shook his head hopelessly and beckoned them to follow him.**

**The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over Harry's glasses. How on earth was he going to see the Snitch in this?**

**The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded.**

"He thought Katie liked Cedric." George grinned.

"We heard him asking her about it and she didn't say if she did or didn't." Fred added, "He took it as confirmation she did like Cedric so he was jealous." he chuckled.

James and Sirius laughed.

**Harry saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount Your brooms."**

**He pulled his right foot out of the mud with a squelch and swung it over his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant - they were off.**

**Harry rose fast, but his Nimbus was swerving slightly with the wind. He held it as steady as he could and turned, squinting into the rain.**

**Within five minutes Harry was soaked to his skin and frozen, hardly able to see his teammates, let alone the tiny Snitch. He flew backward and forward across the field past blurred red and yellow shapes, with no idea of what was happening in the rest of the game. He couldn't hear the commentary over the wind. The crowd was hidden beneath a sea of cloaks and battered umbrellas. Twice Harry came very close to being unseated by a Bludger; his vision was so clouded by the rain on his glasses he hadn't seen them coming.**

"Use 'Impervius' Harry." James said, having used the spell before during Quidditch matches.

"I didn't know that spell at that time, but Hermione did." Harry grinned.

**He lost track of time. It was getting harder and harder to hold his broom straight. The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. Twice Harry nearly hit another player, without knowing whether it was a teammate or opponent; everyone was now so wet, and the rain so thick, he could hardly tell them apart...**

**With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; Harry could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud.**

**"I called for time-out!" Wood roared at his team. "Come on, under here -"**

**They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella; Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes.**

**"What's the score?"**

**"We're fifty points up," said Wood, "but unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."**

**"I've got no chance with these on," Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses.**

**At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming.**

**"I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!"**

**He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, "Impervius!"**

**"There!" she said, handing them back to Harry. "They'll repel water!"**

**Wood looked as though he could have kissed her.**

They laughed.

**"Brilliant!" he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. "Okay, team, let's go for it!"**

**Hermione's spell had done the trick. Harry was still numb with cold, still wetter than he'd ever been in his life, but he could see. Full of fresh determination, he urged his broom through the turbulent air, staring in every direction for the Snitch, avoiding a Bludger, ducking beneath Diggory, who was streaking in the opposite direction...**

**There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous. Harry needed to get the Snitch quickly -**

**He turned, intending to head back toward the middle of the field, but at that moment, another flash of lightning illuminated the stands, and Harry saw something that distracted him completely, the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless in the topmost, empty row of seats. Harry's numb hands slipped on the broom handle and his Nimbus dropped a few feet.**

"I didn't think you saw me." Sirius said, hoping Harry wouldn't fall off because of him.

**Shaking his sodden bangs out of his eyes, he squinted back into the stands. The dog had vanished.**

**"Harry!" came Wood's anguished yell from the Gryffindor goal posts. "Harry, behind you!"**

**Harry looked wildly around. Cedric Diggory was pelting up the field, and a tiny speck of gold was shimmering in the rain-filled air between them...**

**With a jolt of panic, Harry threw himself flat to the broom handle and zoomed toward the Snitch.**

**"Come on!" he growled at his Nimbus as the rain whipped his face. "Faster!"**

**But something odd was happening. An eerie silence was falling across the stadium. The wind, though as strong as ever, was forgetting to roar. It was as though someone had turned off the sound, as though Harry had gone suddenly deaf - what was going on?**

**And then a horribly familiar wave of cold swept over him, inside him, just as he became aware of something moving on the field below...**

**Before he'd had time to think, Harry had taken his eyes off the Snitch and looked down.**

**At least a hundred Dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at him, were standing beneath him. It was as though freezing water were rising in his chest, cutting at his insides. And then he heard it again... Someone was screaming, screaming inside his head... a woman...**

**"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"**

**"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now..."**

**"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead -"**

"No!" Lily cried, her tone broke everyone's hearts, she had tears in her eye's as did most of the women.

**Numbing, swirling white mist was filling Harry's brain... What was he doing? Why was he flying? He needed to help her... She was going to die... She was going to be murdered...**

**He was falling, falling through the icy mist.**

**"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy..."**

**A shrill voice was laughing, the woman was screaming, and Harry knew no more.**

**"Lucky the ground was so soft."**

**"I thought he was dead for sure."**

**"But he didn't even break his glasses."**

**Harry could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. He didn't have a clue where he was, or how he'd got there, or what he'd been doing before he got there. All he knew was that every inch of him was aching as though it had been beaten.**

**"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."**

**Scariest... the scariest thing... hooded black figures... cold... screaming...**

**Harry's eyes snapped open. He was lying in the hospital wing. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed. Ron and Hermione were also there, looking as though they'd just climbed out of a swimming pool.**

**"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. "How're you feeling?"**

**It was as though Harry's memory was on fast forward. The lightning... the Grim... the Snitch... and the Dementors...**

**"What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.**

"When will you learn that injured means rest?" Molly asked, she looked pale after hearing Harry's worst memory.

"Never!" Harry shouted in a voice someone might use if they yelled 'Charge!'.

Everyone smiled a little but they were all still shocked over hearing what Harry heard around Dementors.

"Oh come on, it could've been worse." he pointed out, clearly trying to cheer them all up again.

"How?" James demanded, "How could it possibly be worse?"

Remus gasped, "I've just remembered something, he's right. It could've been worse, can't tell you how just yet." he said apologetically.

**"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been - what - fifty feet?"**

**"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking.**

**Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.**

"I was terrified. We all were." Hermione said quietly.

**"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"**

**No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone.**

**"We didn't - lose?"**

**"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it."**

**"Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.**

**"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."**

"Poor Oliver." Sirius said.

**Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.**

**"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."**

**"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George.**

**"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points."**

**"Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."**

**"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.**

**"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."**

**"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."**

**"It all depends on the points - a margin of a hundred either way -"**

**Harry lay there, not saying a word. They had lost... for the first time ever, he had lost a Quidditch match.**

**After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace.**

**"We'll come and see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."**

**The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed.**

**"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him -"**

**"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were..."**

**His voice faded, but Harry hardly noticed. He was thinking about what the Dementors had done to him... about the screaming voice. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione looking at him so anxiously that he quickly cast around for something matter-of-fact to say.**

**"Did someone get my Nimbus?"**

**Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other.**

**"Er -"**

**"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.**

**"Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.**

**"And?"**

**"And it hit - it hit - oh, Harry - it hit the Whomping Willow."**

Remus winced, "Stupid tree." he muttered.

**Harry's insides lurched. The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds.**

**"And?" he said, dreading the answer.**

**"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It - it doesn't like being hit."**

**"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice.**

**Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.**

"Look on the bright side. At least you get to get a new broom." James smiled.

Harry nodded, smiling. "Yeah but I didn't think of that at the time. On to the next memory."

* * *

><p>Oh and If I haven't mentioned it before mathsnumbers isn't my strongest point so the ages of the people may be a bit mixed up (I know at one point I say Dora is in her 1st year of Hogwarts during the Marauders 7th year but also say Andy doesn't get disowned or leaves until Sirius is 9, making it impossible. In this incident change it in your mind so Sirius is 7 or so when Andy left) feel free to point out any spots I've gotten mixed up or bits that look incorrect and I'll either leave a note or I'll try and fix it ASAP.

Review please x


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 63 - Third Year (Part 5)

10th, August, 1998.

"This is after Madame Pomfrey released me. She insisted on keeping me in the hospital wing all weekend." Harry explained, "You'll like this memory, ar at least most of it." everyone looked happy anyway.

**It was a relief to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, where he was forced to think about other things, even if he had to endure Draco Malfoy's taunting. Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing Dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor.**

"It was worth it." Ron smirked.

"And yet again I deserved it." Draco muttered.

**"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Lupin's classroom after lunch. "Check who's in there, Hermione."**

**Hermione peered around the classroom door.**

**"It's okay!"**

"Yes! Moony's back!" Sirius shouted.

"We were glad Snape didn't poison him." Ron smirked making Remus laugh.

**Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill.**

**"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"**

**"We don't know anything about werewolves -"**

**"- two rolls of parchment!"**

**"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.**

**The babble broke out again.**

**"Yes, but he said we were really behind -"**

**"- he wouldn't listen -"**

**"- two rolls of parchment!"**

**Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.**

**"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."**

**"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"**

They laughed and Sirius said, "Of course."

"You'd already figured it out then?" Remus asked her.

"Yeah, I didn't tell anyone though." Hermione smiled.

**They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.**

**"Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Lupin as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead - people follow the light - then -"**

**The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.**

**When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but -**

**"Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I'd like a word."**

**Harry doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the Hinkypunk's box with a cloth.**

**"I heard about the match," said Lupin, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, "and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?"**

**"No," said Harry. "The tree smashed it to bits."**

**Lupin sighed.**

**"They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts."**

"Because I arrived at Hogwarts." Remus said bitterly.

**"People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye,"**

"I remember that..." James said.

**"and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance."**

**"Did you hear about the Dementors too?" said Harry with difficulty.**

**Lupin looked at him quickly.**

**"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time... furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds... I suppose they were the reason you fell?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He hesitated, and then the question he had to ask burst from him before he could stop himself. "Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just -?"**

**"It has nothing to do with weakness," said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind.**

"It's weird when you do that." Sirius told Remus. James nodded in agreement.

**"The Dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have."**

**A ray of wintry sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating Lupin's gray hairs and the lines on his young face.**

**"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself - soul-less and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of."**

**"When they get near me -" Harry stared at Lupin's desk, his throat tight. "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."**

**Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's silence, then -**

"I was going to tell you about the Marauders then." Remus admitted, "But I chickend out because I didn't think you'd fully understand if I'd told you alone, you'd probably suspect me every time Sirius was sighted."

"I know Remus, you're right, I probably would've been suspicious." Harry smiled sadly, "It was probably for the best you waited until the end of the year."

**"Why did they have to come to the match?" said Harry bitterly.**

**"They're getting hungry," said Lupin coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up... I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement... emotions running high... it was their idea of a feast."**

**"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly.**

**"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheery thought. Most of them go mad within weeks."**

They were looking worriedly at Sirius, who had his eyes closed and looked a bit sick.

"Not weeks Moony, days." Sirius whispered. "I only stayed sane because of Padfoot and the fact I knew I was innocent, not a happy thought, not a sad one either. It couldn't be taken so it remained my main sane thought."

**"But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry said slowly. "He got away..."**

**Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it.**

"I was hoping you'd missed that." Remus muttered.

"I didn't suspect anything." Harry shrugged.

**"Yes," he said, straightening up, "Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible... Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long..."**

**"You made that Dementor on the train back off," said Harry suddenly.**

**"There are - certain defenses one can use," said Lupin. "But there was only one Dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist."**

**"What defenses?" said Harry at once. "Can you teach me?"**

"Yeah Moony, teach him!" James shouted.

**"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting Dementors, Harry - quite the contrary..."**

**"But if the Dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them -"**

**Lupin looked into Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said, "Well... all right. I'll try and help."**

They cheered, even Sirius, who seemed to have recovered slightly since the reminder of what Dementor's do.

**"But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."**

"You mean the moon chose a bad time to be full." Sirius said.

Remus nodded.

"It's a very stupid, inconvenient moon." James smirked.

**What with the promise of anti-Dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that he might never have to hear his mother's death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Harry's mood took a definite upturn. Gryffindor were not out of the running after all, although they could not afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December. Harry saw no hint of a Dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances.**

**Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies.**

**The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Harry wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep him company, and he was very grateful.**

**To everyone's delight except Harry's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term.**

**"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"**

**Resigned to the fact that he would be the only third year staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of Which Broomstick from Wood, and decided to spend the day reading up on the different makes. He had been riding one of the school brooms at team practice, an ancient Shooting Star, which was very slow and jerky; he definitely needed a new broom of his own.**

**On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.**

Fred and George grinned, knowing where this was going.

**"Psst - Harry!"**

**He turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.**

**"What are you doing?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"**

**"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here..."**

**He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry.**

**"Early Christmas present for you, Harry," he said.**

**Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it.**

"Yes!" James and Sirius both shouted.

"Of course you two would have it." Remus said, smiling at the twins who grinned. "I did wonder how Harry had gotten it."

"What is it?" Petunia asked.

"The Marauders Map. Fred and George explain it to me in a moment." Harry explained.

**Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it.**

**"What's that supposed to be?"**

**"This, Harry, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.**

**"It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."**

**"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."**

**"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" said Harry.**

"It's much more than just a bit of old parchment Harry." Remus said.

James and Sirius nodded, "Much more."

**"A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him.**

The Marauders laughed.

**"Explain, George."**

**"Well... when we were in our first year, Harry - young, carefree, and innocent -"**

"Yeah right." Ginny scoffed.

**Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.**

**"- well, more innocent than we are now - we got into a spot of bother with Filch."**

**"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason -"**

**"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual -"**

**"- detention -"**

**"- disembowelment -"**

"The usual." Sirius agreed.

**"- and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."**

"Yeah, we put it there in our 7th year." James nodded.

"You did?" Fred asked, "Why?"

"To make sure future troublemakers were worthy of having it." Sirius shrugged, "If they couldn't get it out of Filch's office they couldn't have been worthy."

"We didn't exactly consider the Marauder heirs at that time." James added with a shrug, "We're still glad we did it though."

"And it found its way to Harry eventually. Funny how these things work out." Remus mused.

"Especially since we didn't know about Harry being the son of a Marauder." George added glaring at Harry.

"Yeah, how come you didn't tell us?" Fred asked.

"Didnt think of it." he shrugged.

"So you waited until those two slipped up one day and used their nicknames in front of us?" George asked nodding at Remus and Sirius.

"It wasn't a slip up. We just wanted to see your reactions." Sirius smirked.

"And yet you never said anything to me when you did find out." Harry grinned.

"You had enough to deal with and we'll be talking about this later." Fred said dismissively.

**"Don't tell me -" said Harry, starting to grin.**

**"Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed - this."**

**"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."**

**"And you know how to work it?"**

**"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."**

**"You're winding me up," said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.**

**"Oh, are we?" said George.**

**He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."**

**And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:**

**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present**

**THE MARAUDER'S MAP**

**It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Harry's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, he noticed something else.**

**This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead -**

**"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" - he pointed them out - " but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in - completely blocked."**

"That was our fault." James winced. "We were using the passage to make a potion and the cauldron exploded." he explained.

"We ended up in the hospital wing with bright purple skin for a week." Remus added, wincing.

**"And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance."**

"We've used it." Sirius said, smirking.

"As have these three." Remus added gesturing to the Golden Trio.

**"But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."**

**"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."**

**"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.**

The Marauders laughed. "Your welcome boys." they said.

**"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it -"**

**"- or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.**

**"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."**

**"So, young Harry," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."**

**"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.**

**They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.**

**Harry stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. He watched the tiny ink Mrs. Norris turn left and pause to sniff at something on the floor. If Filch really didn't know... he wouldn't have to pass the Dementors at all...**

**But even as he stood there, flooded with excitement, something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came floating out of his memory.**

**Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain.**

"The map's safe!" Sirius shouted.

"And before you say anything Dad, we checked it." Fred added as Arthur started to speak.

**This map was one of those dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley had been warning against... Aids for Magical Mischief Makers... but then, Harry reasoned, he only wanted to use it to get into Hogsmeade, it wasn't as though he wanted to steal anything or attack anyone... and Fred and George had been using it for years without anything horrible happening...**

"It did have a nasty habit of insulting us occasionally." Fred mused.

"Told you we over did it Prongs." Sirius muttered.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." James shrugged.

"It was part of the defense woven into it." Remus explained, "To make it seem like a joke product that insults anyone who thinks its hiding something, only people who recognised the title 'The Marauders' would know it was more than that unless the map allowed them to figure out it's password."

"Took us a month to convince it to let us." George muttered, "It's hint's were obvious but it was very specific about wording and we kept mixing up one or two words or leaving them out."

"Paddy's idea." James said, "To make it specific that is."

"I got the idea after running headfirst into a wall that has a hidden passageway in it, you had to be very clear and specific with that one and I thought it would be a good test for anyone trying to get access to the map." Sirius shrugged.

**Harry traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger.**

**Then, quite suddenly, as though following orders, he rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside. Very carefully, he edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.**

**What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled 'Harry Potter'. This figure was standing exactly where the real Harry was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Harry watched carefully. His little Ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with his minute wand. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. He looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, 'Dissendium.'**

Minerva looked surprised, "How long did it take you to make that?"

"Roughly a year." James said, "There was a lot of spells we had to do to set the passwords, make it insult people, make sure it's preservation charms would hold and the likes. The map's kinda like the sorting hat."

Most people gave him a puzzled look.

"The hat has all the founders' personalities and the map has ours." Sirius explained clearing the confusion instantly.

**"Dissendium!" Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch again.**

**At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward.**

**He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. He stood up, looking around. It was pitch dark. He held up his wand, muttered, "Lumos!" and saw that he was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. He raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once. He folded it carefully, tucked it inside his robes, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, he set off.**

**The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Harry hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding his wand out in front of him.**

**It took ages, but Harry had the thought of Honeydukes to sustain him. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Harry sped up, his face hot, his feet very cold.**

**Ten minutes later, he came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Harry began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, he lost count as he climbed, watching his feet...**

"Just watch for the end." James winced.

**then, without warning, his head hit something hard.**

"Too late." Harry mumbled.

**It seemed to be a trapdoor. Harry stood there, massaging the top of his head, listening. He couldn't hear any sounds above him. Very slowly, he pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge.**

**He was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor and replaced it - it blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Harry crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now he could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door.**

**Wondering what he ought to do, he suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs.**

**"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out -" said a woman's voice.**

**A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Harry leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. He heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. He might not get another chance -**

**Quickly and silently, Harry dodged out from his hiding place and climbed the stairs; looking back, he saw an enormous backside and shiny bald head, buried in a box. Harry reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found himself behind the counter of Honeydukes - he ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up.**

**Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Harry. He edged among them, looking around, and suppressed a laugh as he imagined the look that would spread over Dudley's piggy face if he could see where Harry was now.**

They all laughed, even Dudley.

**There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' - sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons.**

**Harry squeezed himself through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES). Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Harry sneaked up behind them.**

**"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying.**

**"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.**

**"Definitely not," said Harry.**

**Ron nearly dropped the jar.**

"You almost gave us a heart attack." Ron glared at Harry, who just snickered.

**"Harry!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? How - how did you -?"**

**"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"**

"No, besides you can't Apparate in or out of Hogwarts." Lily said.

**"'Course I haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map.**

**"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!"**

"Yeah but Harry's the son of one of the creators." James said, smiling.

**"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"**

**"No, I'm not!" said Harry.**

**"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"**

**"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!"**

**"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle!"**

"I helped make the map, I know all the passages anyway." Sirius said.

**"The teachers have got to know!"**

**"He can't be getting in through a passage," said Harry quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three - one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one I just came through - well - it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar - so unless he knew it was there -"**

**Harry hesitated. What if Black did know the passage was there? Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door.**

**BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

**Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.**

**Merry Christmas!**

**"See?" said Ron quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"**

**"Yes, but - but -" Heroine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet - what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"**

**"He'd have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break."**

**Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried.**

**"Are you going to report me?" Harry asked her, grinning.**

**"Oh - of course not - but honestly, Harry -"**

**"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven - it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick."**

They laughed again.

**Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. "Reckon Fred'd take a bite of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?"**

"No, I wouldn't." Fred grinned, "Especially because I can recognise them."

"We know all the tricks." George added, "It's difficult to prank us."

"Sound's like a challenge." James whispered to Sirius and Remus. Both men nodded smirking.

**When Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the three of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside.**

**Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.**

**Harry shivered; unlike the other two, he didn't have his cloak. They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves.**

**"That's the post office -"**

**"Zonko's is up there -"**

**"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack -"**

**"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?"**

**Harry was more than willing; the wind was fierce and his hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn.**

**It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.**

**"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red.**

**Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying three foaming tankards of hot butterbeer.**

**"Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard.**

**Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside.**

**A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked.**

**Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub**

"Hide Harry!" James shouted.

**with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak - Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.**

**In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Harry's head and forced him off his stool and under the table. Dripping with butterbeer and crouching out of sight, Harry clutched his empty tankard and watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward him.**

**Somewhere above him, Hermione whispered, "Mobiliarbus!"**

**The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view.**

"Good thinking, Hermione." Dora said.

"Thank you." she grinned.

**Staring through the dense lower branches, Harry saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside theirs, then heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and minister as they sat down.**

**Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice.**

**"A small gillywater -"**

**"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.**

**"Four pints of mulled mead -"**

**"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.**

**"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella -"**

**"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.**

**"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."**

**"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge's voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."**

**"Well, thank you very much, Minister."**

**Harry watched the glittering heels march away and back again. His heart was pounding uncomfortably in his throat. Why hadn't it occurred to him that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers too? And how long were they going to sit there? He needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if he wanted to return to school tonight... Hermione's leg gave a nervous twitch next to him.**

"You heard everything, didn't you?" Minerva asked. The Golden Trio nodded.

"You probably wont like anymore of this memory." Harry warned everyone, making them groan.

**"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice.**

**Harry saw the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"**

**"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta.**

**"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.**

They all laughed, except for Sirius who was looking a bit pale.

**"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.**

**"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.**

**"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away... It's very bad for business, Minister."**

**"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are... I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore - he won't let them inside the castle grounds."**

**"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"**

**"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground.**

**"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse... We all know what Black's capable of..."**

**"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."**

**"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."**

**"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"**

**"I certainly do," said Fudge.**

**"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"**

**"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"**

"Oh no." Sirius and Remus groaned.

**"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"**

James and Sirius exchanged glances and smiled.

**Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him.**

"That was a shock." Harry grumbled.

"I'll bet it was." Remus agreed, "That's another reason I never told you who I really was. I knew it would be bad if I told you about James and Sirius."

"We wouldn't have chosen for you to find out that way." Sirius agreed.

Harry nodded in understanding.

**"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course - exceptionally bright, in fact - but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers -"**

**"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."**

Fred and George grinned as Molly and Minerva looked slightly annoyed.

**"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"**

**"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry."**

"So that's how you found out?" Sirius asked gloomily. Harry nodded.

**"Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."**

**"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.**

**"Worse even than that, m'dear..." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."**

**"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.**

**"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find - unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"**

**"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.**

**"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were,"**

Sirius nodded, "Of course I would, I'd never sell my friends to Voldemort."

**"that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."**

**"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.**

**"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."**

**"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"**

**"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed -"**

**"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.**

**"He did indeed."**

"No, I never!" Sirius said, looking paler than ever. James put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

**"Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it -"**

**"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said,**

Sirius had turned pale again.

**so loudly that half the bar went quiet.**

**"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.**

**"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead... an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.**

"Oh Hagrid." Sirius said, frowning.

**"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"**

**"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him -' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says. I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him. But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea."**

"No! I wouldn't have!" Sirius shouted.

The others watched him worriedly as he put his face in his hands.

**"His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore..."**

**A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"**

**"Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew"**

Sirius, Remus, James, Lily and the Golden Trio growled.

**"- another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."**

**"Pettigrew... that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.**

**"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I - how I regret that now…" She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.**

**"There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses - Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later - told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens..."**

**Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy... foolish boy... he was always hopeless at dueling... should have left it to the Ministry..."**

**"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands - I'd 've ripped him limb - from - limb," Hagrid growled.**

Sirius winced.

**"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I - I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him... a heap of bloodstained robes and a few - a few fragments -"**

**Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown.**

**"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."**

**Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.**

**"Is it true he's mad, Minister?"**

**"I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while."**

"If anything 'unhinged me' it was James and Lily's deaths and not knowing where Harry was." Sirius said sadly.

**"The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man - cruel... pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them... but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored - asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword."**

"I was bored." Sirius chuckled, "There wasn't anything to do except pace or sleep. And I threatened to tell the healer about what exactly he and Umbridge did during the annual health check up." he added darkly, "I wasnt bluffing, even if they probably wouldnt have beleived me."

**"Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him - and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."**

"That must have been horrible." Regulus winced.

"I wouldn't recommend it." Sirius agreed.

**"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"**

**"I daresay that is his - er - eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing... but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again..."**

**There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.**

**"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.**

**One by one, the pairs of feet in front of Harry took the weight of their owners once more; hems of cloaks swung into sight, and Madam Rosmerta's glittering heels disappeared behind the bar. The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared.**

**"Harry?"**

**Ron's and Hermione's faces appeared under the table. They were both staring at him, lost for words.**

"We were worried." Ron admitted, "And shocked."

"Anyone would be after that. Especially since you didn't know the truth." Andy commented.

"Anyway, that was the end of the memory." Harry smiled, "Why don't we take a break for lunch? It's already 12."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 64 - Third Year (Part 5.5)

10th, August, 1998. 12.30pm.

After lunch everyone was back in the living room waiting for Harry to change the memory.

"It's only vital point's from now on." Harry said sitting down, "We might even be done by moonrise." he added. "And I made the connection from Sirius to one of the photo's I had of my parent's wedding. The next one is of christmas." he grinned.

"It's also after Hagrid told us about Buckbeak being put on trial." Hermione said, "Hagrid also told us a little about what it was like in Azkaban."

"I can sum it up in one word: Horrible." Sirius shuddered. Most people smiled sympathetically at him.

"Let's start then." Harry smiled.

**On Christmas morning, Harry was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him.**

**"Oi! Presents!"**

"Polite Ron." Ginny giggled. Ron just grinned.

**Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, squinting through the semi-darkness to the foot of his bed, where a small heap of parcels had appeared. Ron was already ripping the paper off his own presents.**

**"Another sweater from Mum... maroon again... see if you've got one."**

**Harry had. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a scarlet sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. As he moved all these things aside, he saw a long, thin package lying underneath.**

**"What's that?" said Ron, looking over, a freshly unwrapped pair of maroon socks in his hand.**

**"Dunno..."**

**Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Ron dropped his socks and jumped off his bed for a closer look.**

**"I don't believe it," he said hoarsely.**

**It was a Firebolt,**

"Woo hoo!" James cheered.

**identical to the dream broom Harry had gone to see every day in Diagon Alley. Its handle glittered as he picked it up. He could feel it vibrating and let go; it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for him to mount it. His eyes moved from the golden registration number at the top of the handle, right down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail.**

**"Who sent it to you?" said Ron in a hushed voice.**

**"Look and see if there's a card," said Harry.**

**Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings.**

**"Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?"**

**"Well," said Harry, feeling stunned, "I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys."**

"Definitely not." Sirius said looking at Petunia, she blushed.

**"I bet it was Dumbledore," said Ron, now walking around and around the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch. "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously..."**

**"That was my dad's, though," said Harry. "Dumbledore was just passing it on to me. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on me. He can't go giving students stuff like this ****-****"**

**"That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!" said Ron. "In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism.****"**

"I probably would have." Draco admitted.

**"****Hey, Harry ****-****" Ron gave a great whoop of laughter ****-**** "Malfoy! Wait 'til he sees you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an international standard broom, this is!"**

**"I can't believe this," Harry muttered, running a hand along the Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry's bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. "Who**** -****?"**

**"I know," said Ron, controlling himself, "I know who it could've been ****-**** Lupin!"**

"I don't think so." Remus said smiling, "Wrong Marauder."

**"What?" said Harry, now starting to laugh himself "Lupin? Listen, if he had this much gold, he'd be able to buy himself some new robes."**

"Exactly." Remus smiled.

**"Yeah, but he likes you," said Ron. "And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might've heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you ****-****"**

**"What d'you mean, he was away?" said Harry. "He was ill when I was playing in that match."**

**"Well, he wasn't in the hospital wing," said Ron. "I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?"**

"Damn, I forgot about that." Remus muttered, "That's part of the reason these two could figure it out." James and Sirius nodded.

**Harry frowned at Ron.**

**"I can't see Lupin affording something like this."**

**"What're you two laughing about?"**

**Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.**

**"Don't bring him in here!" said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket.**

**But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt.**

**"Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?"**

**"No idea," said Harry. "There wasn't a card or anything with it."**

**To his great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip.**

**"What's the matter with you?" said Ron.**

**"I don't know," said Hermione slowly, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?"**

**Ron sighed exasperatedly.**

**"It's the best broom there is, Hermione," he said.**

**"So it must've been really expensive..."**

**"Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together," said Ron happily.**

**"Well... who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd sent it?" said Hermione.**

"Oh I don't know... Maybe an escaped convict." Sirius smirked.

**"Who cares?" said Ron impatiently. "Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?"**

**"I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" said Hermione shrilly.**

**Harry and Ron looked at her.**

**"What d'you think Harry's going to do with it ****-**** sweep the floor?" said Ron.**

**But before Hermione could answer, Crookshanks sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest.**

**"GET ****-**** HIM ****-**** OUT ****-**** OF ****-**** HERE!" Ron bellowed as Crookshanks's claws ripped his pajamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshanks that hit the trunk at the end of Harry's bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain.**

**Crookshanks's fur suddenly stood on end. A shrill, tinny, whistling was filling the room. The Pocket Sneakoscope had become dislodged from Uncle Vernon's old socks and was whirling and gleaming on the floor.**

**"I forgot about that!" Harry said, bending down and picking up the Sneakoscope. "I never wear those socks if I can help it..."**

**The Sneakoscope whirled and whistled in his palm. Crookshanks was hissing and spitting at it.**

**"You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione," said Ron furiously, sitting on Harry's bed nursing his toe. "Can't you shut that thing up?" he added to Harry as Hermione strode out of the room, Crookshanks's yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron.**

**Harry stuffed the Sneakoscope back inside the socks and threw it back into his trunk. All that could be heard now were Ron's stifled moans of pain and rage. Scabbers was huddled in Ron's hands. It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron's pocket, and he was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too.**

**"He's not looking too good, is he?" Harry said.**

**"It's stress!" said Ron. "He'd be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!"**

**But Harry, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had said about rats living only three years, couldn't help feeling that unless Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his life. And despite Ron's frequent complaints that Scabbers was both boring and useless, he was sure Ron would be very miserable if Scabbers died.**

**Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him;**

**"Crookshanks attacked him, what was he supposed to do?"**

**Ron was still fuming about Crookshanks's fresh attempt to eat Scabbers. Harry gave up trying to make them talk to each other and devoted himself to examining the Firebolt, which he had brought down to the common room with him. For some reason this seemed to annoy Hermione as well; she didn't say anything, but she kept looking darkly at the broom as though it too had been criticizing her cat.**

**At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for twelve, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch,**

"It was a full moon again." Remus said gloomily.

"That stinks, full moon on Christmas." Sirius frowned.

"It's happened before." Remus pointed out. "The christmas before you died, remember?"

"Yeah. It still stinks though."

**the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year.**

**"Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables... Sit down, sit down!"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down side by side at the end of the table.**

**"Crackers!" said Dumbledore enthusiastically,**

They all laughed at Dumbledore.

**offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witches hat topped with a stuffed vulture.**

"I bet Snape'll love that." James said, smiling.

**Harry, remembering the Boggart, caught Ron's eye and they both grinned; Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once.**

**"Dig in!" he advised the table, beaming around.**

**As Harry was helping himself to roast potatoes, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly.**

**"Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.**

**"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness..."**

**"Certainly, certainly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair ****-****"**

**And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall. Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream.**

**"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"**

**"We'll risk it, Sybill," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. "Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold."**

**Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen.**

**"Tripe, Sybill?"**

**Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"**

**"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everybody should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day."**

They all nodded, feeling sorry for Remus.

**"But surely you already knew that, Sybill?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised.**

"Really Minnie?" James laughed, "You knew she was a fake."

"Of course I knew." Minerva scoffed, "All the staff knew where Remus was. I just wanted to know how she could have been so shocked he wasn't there."

**Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look.**

**"Certainly I knew, Minerva," she said quietly. "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."**

"Is that what she calls it?" Lily frowned.

**"That explains a great deal," said Professor McGonagall tartly.**

**Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty.**

**"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short.****"**

"I'm/Moony's not going to die!" the Marauders shouted.

**"****He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him ****-****"**

"I don't blame you", James said as Sirius laughed. They all looked at him oddly.

"Remember Lavender wondering why you were scared of crystal balls?" he explained, looking at Remus.

They laughed at the reminder.

**"Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly.**

**"I doubt," said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney's conversation, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?"**

**"Yes, Headmaster," said Snape.**

**"Good," said Dumbledore. "Then he should be up and about in no time... Derek, have you had any of the chipolatas? They're excellent."**

**The first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands.**

**Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their cracker hats, Harry and Ron got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly.**

**"My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?"**

**"Dunno," said Ron, looking uneasily at Harry.**

**"I doubt it will make much difference," said Professor McGonagall coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall."**

The room's occupants burst into laughter again.

"Brilliant Minnie." the twins laughed.

"Oh great. You have them saying it now." Minerva scowled at the Marauders who put innocent looks on their faces.

**Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted.**

**"Coming?" Harry said to Hermione.**

**"No," Hermione muttered. "I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall."**

**"Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes," yawned Ron as they make their way into the Entrance Hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe-men.**

**When they reached the portrait hole they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas part****y**** with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor toasted them with a flagon of mead.**

**"Merry ****-**** hic ****-**** Christmas! Password?"**

**"Scurvy cur," said Ron.**

**"And the same to you, sir!" roared Sir Cadogan, as the painting swung forward to admit them.**

**Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected his Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs and tried to find something to do with the Firebolt; however, there where no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle, until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall.**

**Though Professor McGonagall was Head of Gryffindor House, Harry had only seen her in the common room once before, and that had been to make a very grave announcement. He and Ron stared at her, both holding the Firebolt. Hermione walked around them, sat down, picked up the nearest book and hid her face behind it.**

**"So that's it, is it?" said Professor McGonagall beadily, walking over to the fireside and staring at the Firebolt. "Miss Granger has just informed me that you have been sent a broomstick, Potter."**

**Harry and Ron looked around at Hermione. They could see her forehead reddening over the top of her book, which was upside-down.**

They all smiled as Hermione blushed.

**"May I?" said Professor McGonagall, but she didn't wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt out of their hands. She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends. "Hmm. And there was no note at all, Potter? No card? No message of any kind?"**

**"No," said Harry blankly.**

**"I see..." said Professor McGonagall. "Well, I'm afraid I will have to take this, Potter."**

**"W ****-**** what?" said Harry, scrambling to his feet. "Why?"**

**"It will need to be checked for jinxes," said Professor McGonagall. "Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down ****-****"**

"Strip it down?" James repeated, looking terrified.

**"Strip it down?" repeated Ron, as though Professor McGonagall was mad.**

**"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks," said Professor McGonagall. "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free."**

**"There's nothing wrong with it!" said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. "Honestly, Professor ****-****"**

**"You can't know that, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, quite kindly, "not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed."**

**Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, the tin of High-Finish Polish still clutched in his hands. Ron, however, rounded on Hermione.**

**"What did you go running to McGonagall for?"**

**Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly.**

**"Because I thought ****-**** and Professor McGonagall agrees with me ****-**** that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"**

Sirius groaned, "She figured it out."

"That's what 'Mione dose best." Ron chuckled.

"Definitely." Harry agreed. "The next memory is my first Patronus lesson." he grinned at Remus who smiled as the other two Marauders cheered.

**At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.**

**"What's that?" said Harry.**

**"Another Boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."**

**"Okay," said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor.**

**"So..." Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry - well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."**

**"How does it work?" said Harry nervously.**

**"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of anti-Dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor."**

**Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club.**

They all laughed, even Harry.

"You have a weird imagination mate." Ron told him.

"I know. You've said before." Harry grinned.

**Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon - hope, happiness, the desire to survive - but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."**

**"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.**

**"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."**

**"And how do you conjure it?"**

**"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."**

**Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys' was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick.**

"That's probably not powerful enough." Lily said.

Harry shook his head, "It's not."

**"Right," he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach.**

**"The incantation is this -" Lupin cleared his throat. "Expecto patronum!"**

**"Expecto patronum," Harry repeated under his breath, "Expecto patronum."**

**"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?"**

**"Oh - yeah -" said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. "Expecto patrono - no, patronum - sorry - Expecto patronum, Expecto patronum"**

**Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas.**

"Something happened." Dora said shocked.

"Wow." James and Lily breathed.

"I was quite shocked myself." Remus admitted. "I just never said anything."

"You hid your shock well enough, I never even noticed." Harry chuckled.

"You do realise you shouldn't have been able to do even that so soon?" Minerva asked, "That charm isnt taught until 7th year for a reason. It takes a lot of power and usually the first time nothing happens because it requires so much power and concentration."

"Really?" Harry asked. "I never knew." he admitted honestly.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to discourage you." Remus added, "You had to believe it would work and if I'd told you, I thought you might not believe enough and it would've taken longer for you to learn it."

**"Did you see that?" said Harry excitedly. "Something happened!"**

**"Very good," said Lupin, smiling. "Right, then - ready to try it on a Dementor?"**

**"Yes," Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding... Any second now, he might hear his mother again... but he shouldn't think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn't want to... or did he?**

**Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled.**

**A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him -**

**"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto -"**

**But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving... Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother's voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head - "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything -"**

**"Stand aside - stand aside, girl -"**

**"Harry!"**

**Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn't have to ask what had happened.**

**"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.**

**"Are you all right?" said Lupin.**

**"Yes..." Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it.**

**"Here -" Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."**

**"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time - and him - Voldemort -"**

**Lupin looked paler than usual.**

**"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand -"**

**"I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"**

"That's all you cared about?" Lily frowned.

"He was lying Lily." Remus told her, "Or at least not telling the whole truth."

"I didn't want to be seen as weak. Passing out every time I got near a Dementor is a bad thing too." Harry shrugged, "Mostly I think I just wanted to be able to do it to prove I could handle myself perfectly fine."

"Which we all proved multiple times." Ron sighed, "We always got ignored."

"Able to handle yourselves or not you were still kids." Molly told him, "And you all still needed help when it came to being protected while underaged."

"Mum you still insisted on trying to keep me out of the fighting and I've been out of school for years now." Bill scoffed, "You did it with Charlie too."

Charlie nodded, "You did."

Molly shrugged, "Can't blame me for trying to keep my family alive."

**"All right then..." said Lupin. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on... That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough..."**

**Harry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom.**

**"Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box lid.**

**"Ready," said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened.**

**"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry -**

**"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat -"**

**White fog obscured his senses... big, blurred shapes were moving around him... then came a new voice, a man's voice, shouting, panicking -**

**"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -"**

"Me?" James asked shocked.

Harry nodded, "I told you I can remember everything." he sighed.

**The sounds of someone stumbling from a room - a door bursting open - a cackle of high-pitched laughter -**

**"Harry! Harry... wake up..."**

**Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor.**

**"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him - he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it..."**

**Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn't see.**

Remus frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

**"You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice.**

"Sorry Remus, that must have been hard on you." Harry apologised.

"It's fine. I was just shocked you remembered that much." Remus smiled sadly.

**"Yeah..." Face dry, Harry looked up. "Why - you didn't know my dad, did you?"**

**"I - I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry - perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced... I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this..."**

**"No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is... hang on..."**

**He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory... one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus...**

**The moment when he'd first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn't a happy memory, he didn't know what was... Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when he'd realized he'd be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more.**

**"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. "Concentrating hard? All right - go!"**

"You didn't think it was a good idea did you?" Dora asked.

"No I didn't. But I knew how stubborn Harry was." Remus smirked.

"He's definitely stubborn." Ginny giggled.

"So are you Ginny." Bill grinned.

She shrugged, "I'll admit I am though, Harry wont." she pointed out, making Harry pout as the others chuckled.

**He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark -**

**"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**

**The screaming inside Harry's head had started again - except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio - softer and louder and softer again... and he could still see the Dementor... it had halted... and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet - though for how much longer, he wasn't sure...**

**"Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, springing forward.**

**There was a loud crack, and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he'd just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again.**

**"Excellent!" Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!"**

**"Can we have another go? Just one more go?"**

**"Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here -"**

**He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate.**

**"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?"**

**"Okay," said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him.**

**"Professor Lupin?" he said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."**

**Lupin turned very quickly.**

**"What gives you that idea?" he said sharply.**

**"Nothing - I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too..."**

**Lupin's face relaxed.**

**"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did."**

Sirius frowned again.

**"You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late."**

**Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn't mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry's thoughts wandered back to his mother and father...**

**He felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents' last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he'd never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again...**

James and Lily looked sad.

"We'd prefer you hadn't remembered that." James sighed.

"I can remember some part's before that night too. The memories came to me at the end of the war." Harry smiled.

**"They're dead," he told himself sternly. "They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back. You'd better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup."**

**He stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.**

"Oh Harry." Lily sighed, "It must have been awful for you to have to hear that."

"Just a little." Harry nodded. "It was the first time I could remember hearing your voices." he explained, "I may be able to remember more now but at that time it was all I could remember, even if I half-hated it."

"It's unpleasant but it's understandable." Hermione nodded, "You wanted to know your parents so you appreciated any information you could get, even if it was horrible."

Harry nodded smiling, "Exactly. Let's move onto the next one."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 65 - Third Year (Part 6)

10th, August, 1998. 1.30pm.

"We're skipping quite a bit. Right up until the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw." Harry explained, "Basically a few things happened: Hermione's work caught up with her: Ron and I were trying to figure out how Hermione was doing the amount of classes she was: I didn't feel I was doing well enough with the Patronus lessons... And I got the Fireblot back. Am I missing anything?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Not that I can think of." Ron replied. "'Mione?"

"Nope. I can't think of anything either." she told them.

"We can." George smirked.

"Wood went mental with practice..." Fred started.

"And almost wet himself when he saw the Firebolt." George finished.

"Oh yeah. Their right, Wood went mad." Harry chuckled. "And I've just remembered we made-up with Hermione." Hermione nodded.

"And just as they made-up Ron accused Crookshanks of killing Scabbers and they stopped talking to each other again." Ginny added.

"That's true. I spent ages trying to get them to talk again." Harry sighed. Ron and Hermione blushed as the others smiled or snickered.

"I had wondered about that." Minerva admitted. "I noticed they would both talk to you but not each other."

"They did that often after that point."

"We did not!" Hermione protested.

"Yes you did." Ginny smirked, "You barely fought in your 4th year, then you always bickered in your 5th, and when you got to 6th you almost never talked to each other." she pointed out.

"Then it took you another year to get together." Harry added, he was also smirking. "And when you argued it was always over something silly that we can laugh about now... Except from 6th year." he admitted.

Both Hermione and Ron were bright red.

"Does anyone else have anything to add that we're missing?" Hermione asked, effectively changing the subject.

"I had written a list of the weeks passwords because I couldn't remember them, but I lost them." Neville volunteered.

"That comes up in the next memory." Harry nodded, "If that's all lets begin."

**Harry went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in his dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering.**

**Harry saw, with enormous satisfaction, that the Slytherin team were all looking thunderstruck.**

**"Did you see his face?" said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!"**

They all started laughing, even Draco.

**Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt.**

**"Put it here, Harry," he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt.**

**"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!" said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. "Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!"**

**Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table.**

**"Harry - make sure you win," said Percy, in an urgent whisper. "I haven't got ten Galleons. Yes, I'm coming, Penny!" And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast.**

"Betting Perce?" George exclaimed looking shocked.

"You actually bet on the match?" Fred asked looking equally shocked.

Percy shrugged, "It was a friendly bet that Penelope talked me into."

**"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said a cold, drawling voice.**

**Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.**

**"Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually.**

**"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute - in case you get too near a Dementor."**

**Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.**

**"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."**

**The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt.**

**At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Harry, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond. Harry took off his black school robes, removed his wand from his pocket, and stuck it inside the T-shirt he was going to wear under his Quidditch robes. He only hoped he wouldn't need it. He wondered suddenly whether Professor Lupin was in the crowd, watching.**

"I was." Remus said smiling. "It wasn't too close to a full moon that time."

**"You know what we've got to do," said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. "If we lose this match, we're out of the running, just - just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!"**

**They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. She was shorter than Harry by about a head, and Harry couldn't help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty.**

Harry blushed and Ginny shot Sirius a glare when he opened his mouth to say something.

Sirius shut his mouth wisely.

**She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves.**

**"Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.**

**"Mount your brooms... on my whistle... three - two - one -"**

**Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; he soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan.**

**"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship -"**

**"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice.**

**"Right you are, Professor - just giving a bit of background information - the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and -"**

**"JORDAN!"**

They all laughed.

**"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal..."**

**Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier - she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction.**

**"Show her your acceleration, Harry!" Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia.**

**Harry urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, he saw it - the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers.**

**Harry dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him - Harry was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his specialty, he was ten feet away -**

**Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Harry veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished.**

**There was a great "Ooooooh" of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it.**

**"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn - Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision - balance is really noticeable in these long -"**

**"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"**

They all started laughing, the Quidditch fans more than the others.

**Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead - if Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically - a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings - the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post...**

**Harry accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead - but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him -**

**"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"**

**Harry turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again. Harry turned his Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho following him... She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Snitch herself... All right, then... if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences...**

**He dived again, and Cho, thinking he'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Harry pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time - the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end.**

**He accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. He was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second - then -**

**"Oh!" screamed Cho, pointing.**

**Distracted, Harry looked down.**

**Three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him.**

Everyone but Minerva, Remus, Draco, Astoria, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron looked worried and angry. Some people looked at them due to the lack of response but they kept their faces blank.

**He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, "Expecto patronum!"**

**Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He knew it had shot directly at the Dementors but didn't pause to watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead - he was nearly there. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch.**

**Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd.**

**"That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off. In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd.**

**"Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"**

**"Well done, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me -"**

**"Good for you, Harry!" roared Seamus Finnigan.**

**"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.**

**"That was quite some Patronus," said a voice in Harry's ear.**

**Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased.**

"It was quite scary seeing it." Remus explained, "Your Patronus had a form but it was hard to tell what it was."

**"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"**

**"That would be because they - er - weren't Dementors," said Professor Lupin.**

"Huh?" James asked.

"You'll see." Harry smirked.

**"Come and see -"**

**He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field.**

**"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Lupin.**

**Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes.**

"Draco!" Cissy frowned, "What on earth possessed you to do that?" she demanded.

"Um... The part of me that insisted It was a good idea?" he half-awnsered, half-questioned. "And I'd like to add I am very, very sorry for that Harry."

"It's fine. It was good for practice." Harry smirked, "Besides you were punished already for it."

"What was it you got?" Astoria asked him. "I know about the points." she added.

"It was detention every night for 3 weeks." Minerva frowned. "It would have been more, if Albus hadn't pointed out that you all got a big shock with what Harry had done, that was part of the punishment according to him."

"True." Draco agreed, "I didn't tease Harry about the Dementors much more after that."

"Because you knew I would curse you or because you didn't know what I done that time?" Harry asked.

"Both." he shrugged.

**It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.**

**"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"**

**If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it.**

**"Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"**

**"Right," said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle.**

**It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.**

**"How did you do that?" squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd.**

**"With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred muttered in Harry's ear.**

**Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her.**

**"Did you even come to the match?" he asked her.**

**"Of course I did," said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. "And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday."**

**"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet.**

**"I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. "Anyway..." She glanced over at Ron too. "He doesn't want me to join in."**

**There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them -"**

"You're a git Ron." Ginny snapped, "Even if Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, Hermione wouldn't have been able to stop him. He's a cat. Cat's eat rat's and that's a fact, if Crookshanks was set on eating him he would have eaten him eventually anyway."

Ron had gone red, "I know I was being stupid. Sorry Hermione."

"No I'm sorry. Even if Crookshanks had eaten him I should have apologised incase he had. I was just too stubborn to think that he would." she replied.

"How about we go with this? You both should have apologised and then left it alone instead of spreading it out and not doing anything about it." Harry suggested.

"You're right Harry. We should have but we didn't." Ron sighed, "And I'm aware the spreading it out part was my fault."

"It was my fault, I should have done something instead of moping around." Hermione disagreed. Both of them started arguing over whose fault it was to the amusement of the others, except Harry and Ginny, who looked annoyed.

"Oi!" Harry yelled, "You two are unbelievable." he sighed when they had stopped and looked at him. "You even argue about whose fault it was."

"Just agree to disagree and say it was both your faults." Ginny added. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and nodded.

**Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight.**

**"Can't you give her a break?" Harry asked Ron quietly.**

**"No," said Ron flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry - but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something."**

**The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their dormitory, still discussing the match. At last, exhausted, Harry climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt himself almost instantly drifting off to sleep...**

**He had a very strange dream. He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping.**

"Okay, that is a strange dream." James said.

"He's chasing a Patronus." Dora giggled.

Harry didn't reply, he was watching Sirius, so were Ron and Hermione, remembering what was about to happen.

**Then he turned a corner into a clearing and -**

**"AAARRGGHH! NOOO!"**

**Harry woke as suddenly as though he'd been hit in the face. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings, he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan's voice from the other side of the room.**

**"What's going on?"**

**Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam. At last finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp.**

**Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of utmost terror on his face.**

**"Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!"**

"What?" they all asked, except the Golden Trio, Sirius and Minerva.

**"What?"**

**"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!"**

**"You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" said Dean.**

**"Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!"**

**They all scrambled out of bed; Harry reached the dormitory door first, and they sprinted back down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them.**

**"Who shouted?"**

**"What're you doing?"**

**The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted.**

**"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?"**

**"I'm telling you, I saw him!"**

**"What's all the noise?"**

**"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!"**

**A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing.**

**"Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred Weasley brightly.**

"Not exactly." Ron said, laughing.

**"Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke.**

**"Perce - Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"**

**The common room went very still.**

**"Nonsense!" said Percy, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron - had a nightmare -"**

**"I'm telling you -"**

**"Now, really, enough's enough!"**

**Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around.**

**"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"**

**"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare -"**

**"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"**

**Professor McGonagall stared at him.**

**"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?"**

**"Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he saw -"**

**Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"**

**"Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan.**

**There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.**

**"You - you did?" said Professor McGonagall. "But - but the password!"**

**"He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"**

"Didn't Neville write down all the passwords and lose it?" Remus asked, clearly amused.

"Yes." Neville nodded, "I did and it was stupid of me to write them down."

"Useful for me though." Sirius muttered.

"Don't tell them why you were there." Harry warned him.

"Oh I won't. I know I explain it to you three later anyway." he replied.

**Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk.**

**"Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"**

**There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.**

"That was quite brave." Lily commented.

"It was." Minerva agreed, "I was quite surprised I had gotten an answer at all." she admitted.

"I thought it was better to admit to my mistake instead of letting the whole house get punished for it." Neville smiled. "I probably would have been caught soon enough anyway."

"It was still brave." Luna smiled while leaning her head on his shoulder. "And it was honest too. If you hadn't told anyone then the guilt would have been quite bad." she added.

"I may not know you very well yet, but I can tell you that things like that always make you feel guilty." Regulus told him with a smile, "I know what it feels like carrying the thought that you're the reason someone almost got attacked. Even if Sirius wasn't going to hurt Ron, you thought he was, so the guilt would have been a massive weight to carry around and you would have told someone eventually."

"You know, I think that's the wisest thing I've ever heard you say?" Sirius chuckled, "How do you know the feeling though?"

"Because..." Regulus sighed and looked away.

"Regulus?" Cissy asked making him look at her, "Is this about the you-know-what attack? The one after you joined the Death Eater's and Bella asked you about where Sirius's was?"

Regulus nodded, "I almost got you attacked. I didn't mean it." he said looking at his big brother, "I knew where you were and Bella knew it. She questioned me and I almost told her because I didn't realise what she was doing until it was almost too late."

"Why don't we take a break and you can explain?" Harry suggested. Regulus nodded gratefully.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67 - Explanations.

10th, August, 1998.

"Care to explain then?" Sirius asked looking really confused.

"Regulus you never told her." Cissy sighed ignoring Sirius's question, "If I had known I would have stopped her interrogating you."

"Why?" Sirius asked her, "You must have wanted me dead after I left."

"No, I didn't. We may not have liked each other very much but..." Cissy trailed off.

"Sirius? Are you aware Father never fully disowned you?" Regulus asked suddenly. Sirius looked confused, "He never fully disowned you because he was convinced you'd see sense and come back. Technically all he did was have Mother blast you off the tapestry and ignore your existence."

Cissy nodded, "When Uncle Orion died Regulus was put in charge until his death, then you were made the head of the family but you couldn't accept it formally because you were in Azkaban. But if Bella had attacked you before you were put in Azkaban and if it had been Regulus's fault the old family curse would have activated on Bella and partly on Regulus."

"Bella just never saw it that way." Regulus sighed. "To her you weren't the head of the family unless you accepted it formally."

Noticing the confused looks on everyone else's faces Sirius decided to explain, "There was an old curse on our family line dated back about 500 years ago. Basically if anyone attacked the current Lord of the Black family, with the intent to kill him, the curse would kill them instead. If it was a family members fault then the curse would... I can't remember." he frowned.

"It was, 'Those who do wrong by the family be gone. Those who aim to kill the Lord of the family be killed. Those who are at fault for getting the Lord of the family attacked shall never find rest, by day or by night, and may they never find peace or luck in all that they do.'" Regulus recited.

Sirius nodded. "That was it." he agreed. "But there's something I don't understand." he admitted, "I did actually accept the title so if Bella was planning to attack me why didn't the curse activate?"

"She changed her target's." Cissy winced, "Once Regulus had died that is. She started aiming for Andy."

"And let me guess what happened when that failed. She did go for Sirius but she wasn't aiming for him herself?" Andy suggested. Cissy nodded.

"Then who did... Never mind, it was James and Remus she aimed for wasn't it?" Dora asked.

"Partly yes. She wanted Remus dead. But because of Voldemort she never went for James at all. She got Rodolphus to convince Pettigrew to kill Sirius." Cissy admitted.

"But he didn't succeed." Draco chuckled, "I know this story." he explained, "I made Rabastan and Rodolphus tell me when I was bored. Then I asked Pettigrew about it because the other two didn't know the full story and I was curious." he admitted.

Cissy nodded, "Rodolphus ended up failing to convince Pettigrew so she left you alone for a while."

"Why? I thought she was determined to kill him?" Lily asked.

Cissy shrugged, "I never asked her."

"She found new targets." Draco told them. "Rodolphus told me. She felt Sirius wasn't worth her time but she would kill him if the opportunity arose."

"Did you question everybody?" Regulus asked looking amused.

"Pretty much. Only when I couldn't escape to my room though." Draco admitted.

"His questioning them helped a bit though." Kingsley commented. "We found out what Death Eater killed or tortured who." he explained.

"And where most of them would hide." Harry added.

"It was mostly the lower level Death Eaters though. I didn't dare question the ones in the inner circle, or the elite, except Rodolphus, Rabastan and Pettigrew because I knew what would happen if I did." Draco admitted. "I knew those three would answer me. Even Aunt Bella answered my questions from time to time." he spat her name as though it was poison.

"All of them are dead now." Andy said, "Rabastan got the Dementors Kiss and Bella was killed in the final battle."

"What about Rodolphus and Pettigrew?" Amber asked hesitantly.

"Well Kingsley killed Rodolphus during a fight and we don't actually know what happened to Pettigrew, we just found him dead." Cissy admitted.

Ron and Harry shared a look. "We know. We can explain when the memories of our fourth year are done." Harry sighed.

"Sirius? You said you accepted Lordship of the family? How?" Cissy frowned.

"It was the same day James accepted Lordship over the head of the House of Potter. While we were at Gringotts the Goblins told me I was the new Lord if I accepted, it so I did." he explained.

"But you never had the ring." she said looking confused.

"Yes he did." James said, "We both wore them, you know there's no way to be a Lord of a family without the official Lord ring. Mine would have been sent to the Potter vault. Otherwise I would have been wearing it on the finger next to my wedding ring which I suspect also got sent to the vault." he held his left hand up to show it was ring-less.

"You're right it did. Your's too Lily." Remus added, they both nodded.

"Hold on." Harry said running upstairs.

"Where's he going?" Sirius asked.

"To get his photo album. He had an idea when you mentioned your wedding ring." Ginny said nodding to James.

"Of course! Sirius was wearing his ring on our wedding day." Lily explained. Harry came back downstairs, he was carrying his photo album. He sat down and started looking through it.

"The reason you wouldn't have seen the ring Cissy is because I never saw you before or after Azkaban and the title was taken off me when I was in Azkaban anyway." Sirius explained. "When I escaped I never got it back so Lucius and Bella wouldn't have seen it either."

"There it is." Harry held up a photo of James and Sirius grinning and waving at the camera with their arms around each others shoulders. There was a ring on James's finger where he had said it should be and, sure enough, there was a ring on Sirius's middle finger on his left hand too. "It's the only photo you can see it but it's definitely there."

Cissy, Regulus, Andy and Sirius nodded.

"That's the one." Regulus nodded. "But it looks slightly different." he frowned.

"I had the motto removed." Sirius explained, "I wouldn't wear it if it had the stupid motto on it. I also had it cleaned, it was covered in this grimy stuff, remember it used to look like it was bronze?" Regulus nodded, "It was supposed to be gold."

"Urgh. It was really that bad?" Cissy asked disgusted. Sirius and Regulus nodded.

"I never had time to accept it before I died so I never wore it, even if I had the title." Regulus explained.

"If you want I can get it out of the Auror's storage room's." Kingsley offered Sirius. "It went in there when you escaped, along with your wand, I think."

"I'd like to have my wand back but technically I'm not the Lord of the family anymore." Sirius said.

"How?" Remus asked.

"Simple. When I died I left everything to Harry." Sirius explained, "Technically only he can pass it on to someone else now."

"We already know that." Harry nodded, "Andy pointed it out to me when I told her."

"And I told him that he could either take the title or pass it on." Andy nodded.

"I was going to pass it to Draco since he's a Black now." Harry explained.

"You can have it if you want." Draco told Sirius, "I was only going to take it because the Malfoy name has been destroyed and there's no point in Harry being the Lord of two houses when there's another person available to take one of them." he explained.

"I honestly don't mind." Sirius admitted.

"Technically with your return it's automatic so you can't refuse." Cissy laughed. "You know the title automatically goes to the oldest male with the Black name."

"Well darn." he muttered making everyone laugh.

"That's why the Weasley line never bothered with the formalities." Arthur chuckled. "Well, there is a ring but it's not been used for centuries. Our line just went along with the oldest male in the family was the head until the kid's start their own families. Then they became the head of that family."

"So when Fleur has her babies Bill would be the head of their family. Same goes for the rest of the boys too, when they start their families." Molly added.

"And you never told us this why?" Percy asked.

"We thought you knew." Arthur shrugged.

Bill nodded, "I knew. Didn't anyone else?"

All the male Weasleys shook their heads.

"We didn't know but does it matter?" Charlie asked.

"Not really, no." Arthur admitted, "It doesn't change much really. Only wearing the ring does and that's not going to happen anytime soon. To be honest I don't even know if the ring was destroyed or not." he shrugged.

"Kind of like the ring for the Moon family." Amber said, "That's been lost since my parent's died. I think it was either stolen or destroyed."

"It was destroyed. I was told when I was informed of their deaths." Remus told her. "Apparently they put it in their will to destroy it because the didn't want me to get it. I would have destroyed it myself to be honest. I didn't care about them and they hated me so why would I claim Lordship?"

"Fair enough." Amber shrugged, "I can't really say anything because I know they disowned you and shipped you off, it was years before I was even born and I didn't know them anyway."

"You know it's still weird to think that you used to be a Moon." James commented to Remus, "The line was meant to have died out," he held up a hand as Remus started to talk, "I know you're a Lupin but why didn't you tell us?" he asked.

"Easy, that was a part of my life I wanted to forget the most... And it never came up." he admitted, "I would have told you if you had asked. The truth is I can't really remember anything except hate from my birth parents and my adoptive ones were enough for me."

"It did come up." Sirius frowned, "When we started calling you 'Moony' you sulked for a few days. We asked you what was wrong and you told us..."

"That you thought it was too revealing of your furry little problem." James finished as Sirius stopped mid-sentence.

"I felt it was." Remus grumbled, "It was nothing to do with the name I was born under, I didn't know myself until 5th year after the you-know-what incident." he added. Sirius looked down quickly.

"We're talking about this later." James warned, Remus just nodded.

"Remus, if it helps they didn't care much for me either." Amber told him so only he could hear her, he smiled sadly.

"Harry. We need a word with you about the next few memories." Hermione said as she and Ron stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Why do I feel an argument coming on?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Because Hermione only talks like that when she's worried or angry about something." she replied, he sighed and walked into the kitchen.

"Any idea's about what their going to talk about?" Fred asked.

"Probably an argument between Ron and Hermione." Ginny told them, "There's a lot of them and I don't think they like the idea of Harry showing them, most of them were stupid or pointless, sometimes both." she shrugged. "Though it could be an argument between the three of them. It may not seem like it but Harry used to argue with them a lot."

"Not as much as Ron and Hermione though." Neville snorted, "He wasn't exactly quiet when he did argue."

"But when he did argue he usually won." Luna pointed out.

"Yeah, it's not fun to argue with him." Draco agreed.

"No but it's amusing if he argues with Ginny." George chuckled, "No offence meant Gin-Gin but both of you are so stubborn that neither of you back down easily."

"He still win's more than me." Ginny pouted, "Unless he knows he's being stupid and that there is no way he's going to win."

"Like when he argued with you about him being dangerous to be around?" Charlie suggested.

"He was ill." Ginny shrugged. "He had tricked himself into believing it. In the end it was George that told him he wasn't, I just need to remind him from time to time."

"Why would he think he was dangerous?" Regulus asked.

Ginny shared a look with the other two members of the Silver Trio before answering.

"You see... Through the war Harry blamed himself for every death, but there was more to it than that..." she trailed off.

"The way Harry saw it was that everyone around him that he loved died from being near him because trouble usually followed him everywhere." Neville put in.

"It took us about a month to convince him otherwise. And a lot of arguments." Luna sighed.

"Eventually he started listening to us again." Ginny explained. "By the time he believed us it was a week into June."

"It took a while but eventually he relaxed around us again." Molly added, "Ron and Hermione helped him a lot. The three of them used to just sleep down here because they couldn't be separated without having nightmares." she shrugged.

"And you were fine with that?" Dora asked.

"Not really, but we prefered they could sleep peacefully and not having nightmares." Arthur put in. "It was only until we could find a Dreamless Sleep potion strong enough for them, though now they hardly work at all so they're only to be taken if they feel the need."

"What do you mean strong enough?" Lily frowned.

"Normal sleeping potions don't work that well on them and the same goes for Dreamless Sleep." Draco explained, "I ended up reading Severus's notes, with his permission, to find his stronger versions of the potions."

"And it took a week to brew them." Astoria added.

"Do you know why the normal ones don't work that well on them?" James asked.

"Our bodies are too used to them." Harry said from the doorway making them all jump, "Well my body is, we don't know about these two yet." he admitted sitting down.

"Yes we do Harry." Hermione reminded him, "We found out about three weeks ago remember?"

"Yes but... That's a guess not a real reason." he replied, he sighed but nodded. "And you know why we can't tell everyone yet." she nodded again. "So are we ready to continue?" he asked the room. Everyone agreed so they turned to the pensive again.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68 - Third Year (Part 6.5)

10th, August, 1998. 2.45pm.

"Right what's happening is that the security on the castle was getting tighter everyday and Neville wasn't allowed to know the password for the tower." Harry explained.

"Which I deserved." Neville sighed.

"No you didn't, we can't explain now but it will be explained soon." Hermione informed him.

"Then we got an invitation to Hagrid's for tea and he came and got Harry and I from the entrance hall." Ron added, "We weren't talking to Hermione again."

"Actually I was you weren't." Harry smirked, "When we were at Hagrid's he reminded us about Buckbeak going on trial which we had forgotten about."

"Don't forget Ron wouldn't stop telling the story of how Sirius nearly killed him." Ginny giggled, "He made it even more ridiculous every time he told it." Ron glared at her.

"Oh yes we can't forget that." Harry chuckled, "Wasn't there one about how he was about to stab you when you shot a curse at him and he ran away?" Ron blushed as the others snickered.

"I assure you I wouldn't have stabbed you." Sirius chuckled.

"I was just showing off." Ron muttered. "Why didn't you stop me Harry?"

"It wasn't often people paid more attention to you than me and I prefered not being in the spotlight." he shrugged, "I figured I'd let you have your fun."

"And now we get just as much attention as you and we don't like it very much." Hermione frowned.

"True. We now understand what you meant by it's annoying." Ron agreed.

"I told you so." Harry chuckled, "It's not fun being stared at. Anyway, when we were at Hagrid's he actually gave us a lecture about how we had treated Hermione. He told us that she was terrified that Ron might have been killed and that her heart was in the right place, as always." he smiled at Hermione who blushed. "He also said that he thought that her work was getting to her."

"It was." Hermione sighed, "I can see now that I was trying to do too much."

"We're sorry about that by the way, Hermione. We shouldn't have treated you the way we did." Ron apologized, Harry nodded.

"It's fine." she replied. "After that when they got back to the castle they saw there was another Hogsmeade visit and I overheard them planning for Harry to sneak out again."

"And tried to talk me out of it." Harry nodded, "Which didn't work. I sneaked out under the invisibility cloak and me and Ron walked around for a bit, I got him to get me a few things from various shops. We ended up going to see the Shrieking Shack and that's where were starting. Mainly because I think you'll find it amusing." he chuckled.

**The day was fine and breezy, and neither of them felt like staying indoors, so they walked past the Three Broomsticks and climbed a slope to visit the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted dwelling in Britain.**

The Marauders shook their heads as did the Golden Trio.

**It stood a little way above the rest of the village, and even in daylight was slightly creepy, with its boarded windows and dank overgrown garden.**

**"Even the Hogwarts ghosts avoid it," said Ron as they leaned on the fence, looking up at it. "I asked Nearly Headless Nick... he says he's heard a very rough crowd lives here. No one can get in. Fred and George tried, obviously, but all the entrances are sealed shut..."**

"Not all of them." James said. "There's the tunnel under the Whomping Willow but there's another exit. It's a loose board on the wall it goes into a tunnel that comes out in the forbidden forest." he explained.

**Harry, feeling hot from their climb, was just considering taking off the cloak for a few minutes when they heard voices nearby. Someone was climbing toward the house from the other side of the hill; moments later, Malfoy had appeared, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle.**

"You had to show this don't you?" Draco groaned.

"Of course. The memory wouldn't make sense if I didn't." Harry replied cheerfully.

**Malfoy was speaking.**

**"... should have an owl from Father any time now. He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm... about how I couldn't use it for three months..."**

**Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.**

**"I really wish I could hear that great hairy moron trying to defend himself... 'There's no 'arm in 'im, 'onest -'... That Hippogriff's as good as dead -"**

**Malfoy suddenly caught sight of Ron. His pale face split in a malevolent grin.**

**"What are you doing, Weasley?"**

**Malfoy looked up at the crumbling house behind Ron.**

**"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley? Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room - is that true?"**

Everyone growled and Draco looked down, clearly ashamed.

**Harry seized the back of Ron's robes to stop him from leaping on Malfoy.**

**"Leave him to me," he hissed in Ron's ear.**

**The opportunity was too perfect to miss. Harry crept silently around behind Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, bent down, and scooped a large handful of mud out of the path.**

The room's occupants were smiling, on the verge of laughter.

**"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid," Malfoy said to Ron. "Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when they cut off his Hippogriff's -"**

**SPLAT!**

**Malfoy's head jerked forward as the mud hit him; his silverblond hair was suddenly dripping in muck.**

Everyone started laughing and it took a few minutes for them to continue watching.

**"What the -?"**

**Ron had to hold onto the fence to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle spun stupidly on the spot, staring wildly around, Malfoy trying to wipe his hair clean.**

**"What was that? Who did that?"**

**"Very haunted up here, isn't it?" said Ron, with the air of one commenting on the weather.**

**Crabbe and Goyle were looking scared. Their bulging muscles were no use against ghosts. Malfoy was staring madly around at the deserted landscape.**

**Harry sneaked along the path, where a particularly sloppy puddle yielded some foul-smelling, green sludge.**

**SPLATTER!**

**Crabbe and Goyle caught some this time. Goyle hopped furiously on the spot, trying to rub it out of his small, dull eyes.**

**"It came from over there!" said Malfoy, wiping his face, and staring at a spot some six feet to the left of Harry.**

**Crabbe blundered forward, his long arms outstretched like a zombie. Harry dodged around him, picked up a stick, and lobbed it at Crabbe's back. Harry doubled up with silent laughter as Crabbe did a kind of pirouette in midair, trying to see who had thrown it.**

**As Ron was the only person Crabbe could see, it was Ron he started toward, but Harry stuck out his leg. Crabbe stumbled - and his huge, flat foot caught the hem of Harry's cloak. Harry felt a great tug, then the cloak slid off his face.**

**For a split second, Malfoy stared at him.**

**"AAARGH!" he yelled, pointing at Harry's head. Then he turned tail and ran, at breakneck speed, back down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**Harry tugged the cloak up again, but the damage was done.**

**"Harry!" Ron said, stumbling forward and staring hopelessly at the point where Harry had disappeared, "you'd better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone - you'd better get back to the castle, quick -"**

**"See you later," said Harry, and without another word, he tore back down the path toward Hogsmeade.**

**Would Malfoy believe what he had seen? Would anyone believe Malfoy? Nobody knew about the Invisibility Cloak - nobody except Dumbledore. Harry's stomach turned over - Dumbledore would know exactly what had happened, if Malfoy said anything -**

**Back into Honeydukes, back down the cellar steps, across the stone floor, through the trapdoor - Harry pulled off the cloak, tucked it under his arm, and ran, flat out, along the passage... Malfoy would get back first... how long would it take him to find a teacher? Panting, a sharp pain in his side, Harry didn't slow down until he reached the stone slide. He would have to leave the cloak where it was, it was too much of a giveaway in case Malfoy had tipped off a teacher - he hid it in a shadowy corner, then started to climb, fast as he could, his sweaty hands slipping on the sides of the chute. He reached the inside of the witch's hump, tapped it with his wand, stuck his head through, and hoisted himself out; the hump closed, and just as Harry jumped out from behind the statue, he heard quick footsteps approaching.**

**It was Snape.**

"You have to be the most unlucky person..." James trailed off, staring at Harry.

"In the world? Believe me, I know." Harry snorted.

**He approached Harry at a swift walk, his black robes swishing, then stopped in front of him.**

**"So," he said.**

**There was a look of suppressed triumph about him. Harry tried to look innocent, all too aware of his sweaty face and his muddy hands, which he quickly hid in his pockets.**

**"Come with me, Potter," said Snape.**

**Harry followed him downstairs, trying to wipe his hands clean on the inside of his robes without Snape noticing. They walked down the stairs to the dungeons and then into Snape's office.**

**Harry had been in here only once before, and he had been in very serious trouble then too. Snape had acquired a few more slimy horrible things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.**

**"Sit," said Snape.**

**Harry sat. Snape, however, remained, standing.**

**"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter," said Snape.**

**Harry didn't say anything.**

**"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley - apparently alone."**

**Still, Harry didn't speak.**

**"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to"**

"Teasing." James corrected.

**"Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"**

**Harry tried to look mildly surprised.**

**"I don't know, Professor."**

**Snape's eyes were boring into Harry's. It was exactly like trying to stare down a Hippogriff. Harry tried hard not to blink.**

"Bad idea." Draco told him. "He would have been able to see through the lie. If you had looked away or blinked he would have known you were lying anyway so you couldn't win."

"I know that... now." Harry muttered.

**"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"**

**"No," said Harry, now trying to sound innocently curious.**

**"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair."**

**There was a long silence.**

**"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If he's seeing things like -"**

**"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."**

**"I know that," said Harry, striving to keep his face free of guilt or fear. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin -"**

**"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart.**

James gagged, causing the others to smile slightly.

**"If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."**

**"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," said Harry. "Like you told -"**

**"Can anyone confirm that?"**

**Harry didn't say anything. Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.**

"I would have covered for you." Neville said.

"It wouldn't have helped much, but thanks anyway." Harry smiled.

**"So," he said, straightening up again. "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."**

**Harry stayed silent. Snape was trying to provoke him into telling the truth. He wasn't going to do it. Snape had no proof - yet.**

**"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter," Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. "He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field** **made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers... The resemblance between you is uncanny."**

**"My dad didn't strut,"**

"He used to." Sirius said.

James glared at him and threw a small fire-ball, hitting Sirius in the head and making him yelp.

"James! How many times do I have to tell you not to throw fire?" Lily demanded.

"Come on, I knew it wouldn't hurt him." he said defensively, "You know I'm always careful with fire."

"You still shouldn't throw fire." she huffed.

**said Harry, before he could stop himself. "And neither do I."**

**"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Snape went on, pressing his advantage, his thin face full of malice. "Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen -"**

**"SHUT UP!"**

**Harry was suddenly on his feet. Rage such as he had not felt since his last night in Privet Drive was coursing through him. He didn't care that Snape's face had gone rigid, the black eyes flashing dangerously.**

**"What did you say to me, Potter?"**

**"I told you to shut up about my dad!" Harry yelled. "I know the truth, all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!"**

**Snape's sallow skin had gone the color of sour milk.**

**"And did the headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" he whispered. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?"**

**Harry bit his lip. He didn't know what had happened and didn't want to admit it - but Snape seemed to have guessed the truth.**

**"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said, a terrible grin twisting his face. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you - your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment."**

"It wasn't his fault!" Sirius shouted at the memory-Snape, "It was mine!"

**"There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."**

"Would've been worse than that." Sirius muttered, "I would've been sent to Azkaban for really murdering someone, Moony would've been executed, Prongs would've been caught for being an animagus meaning the rest of us would be too. I didn't consider the consequences at that time, I was drunk and thought it seemed like a good idea." he admitted.

"Well it's a good thing Albus managed to keep it quiet." James sighed, "Downside being Snape had something on us he could reveal and have us all expelled and Remus killed."

"Why would you be killed?" Amber asked Remus.

"Werewolf laws." he explained, "The laws state werewolves aren't completely human and don't deserve the same rights, a lot of things would've resulted in me being executed. From threatening a Ministry worker being a minor offence to biting or killing someone being the biggest two offences, both resulting in instant execution."

"We had to hide when I fell pregnant because of the laws about family." Dora sighed, "Werewolves were allowed to get married but not have kids, the price for having the kids is the kid getting taken by the Ministry and either used as an experiment or killed and the parent who wasn't the werewolf being put in Azkaban and the other who was being either killed or given a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

"Or put up for experimentation." Remus winced, "I don't really fancy sitting about getting random spells tried on me and potions shoved down my throat so we kept quiet about Teddy. Only the Order knew."

"Until Voldemort found out from Bella, I don't even know how she found out." Cissy told them.

"It's those laws Kingsley'll be working on as soon as he's removed all the pro-pureblood laws for life in general." Hermione smiled.

"And he's already removed the laws on children since he's spent time around Teddy he knows there's no risk at all. I helped him tell the public and I had Teddy with me that time, they weren't happy but we talked them around." Harry added, "So that's been lifted already."

"Good." Remus smiled.

**Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared.**

**"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" he spat suddenly.**

**Harry didn't move. There was a pounding in his ears.**

**"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!"**

**Cold with dread, Harry slowly pulled out the bag of Zonko's tricks and the Marauder's Map.**

**Snap picked up the Zonko's bag.**

**"Ron gave them to me," said Harry, praying he'd get a chance to tip Ron off before Snape saw him. "He brought them back from Hogsmeade last time -"**

**"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching... and what is this?"**

**Snape had picked up the map. Harry tried with all his might to keep his face impassive.**

**"Spare bit of parchment," he said with a shrug.**

**Snape turned it over, his eyes on Harry.**

**"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?" he said. "Why don't I just - throw this away?"**

**His hand moved toward the fire.**

**"No!" Harry said quickly.**

**"So!" said Snape, his long nostrils quivering. "Is this another treasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it - something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or - instructions to get into Hogsmeade without passing the Dementors?"**

**Harry blinked. Snape's eyes gleamed.**

**"Let me see, let me see..." he muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on his desk. "Reveal your secret!"**

The four Marauders were smirking like mad now and a few people gave them questioning looks.

"The map is made to insult who ever tries to make it work without the password." Remus explained.

"It's designed to say some... choice things to Snape." James grinned.

**he said, touching the wand to the parchment.**

**Nothing happened. Harry clenched his hands to stop them from shaking.**

**"Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.**

**It stayed blank. Harry was taking deep, calming breaths.**

**"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.**

**As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.**

**"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."**

Remus recited the words as Harry read them, so did the other Marauders.

**Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first.**

**"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."**

**It would have been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. And there was more...**

**"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."**

**Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he'd opened them, the map had had its last word.**

**"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."**

Everyone burst out laughing as the memory was paused by Harry.

When they had calmed down after about 5 minutes of laughing the twins looked at the Marauders.

"That was brilliant!" they shouted.

"Why thank you." James mock-bowed. "We really didn't like old Snivilley so we decided he got some of the worst insults."

"He had found out about me and he had done something much worse when we did that." Remus added. He looked at Harry who shook his head. "We can't tell you what it was he done that was worse, yet." he said apologetically.

"It's bad." Harry allowed, "And it has to do with their fifth year O.W.L's." James and Lily winced, knowing what he was talking about.

**Harry waited for the blow to fall.**

**"So..." said Snape softly. "We'll see about this..."**

**He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames.**

**"Lupin!" Snape called into the fire. "I want a word!"**

"Sure call for me." Remus muttered.

"He probably recognised the nicknames." Sirius sighed.

"On the bright side Remus was probably the only one able to get Harry out of trouble." Minerva pointed out. "He never listened to me when I tried. He always said it was favouritism." she frowned.

"He was stupid to call on me then." Remus chuckled, "Even though I'm glad he did."

"He was bound to remember it was you who always got us out of trouble though." Sirius frowned.

"He didn't know that." Lily shook her head, "He thought it was James doing that and that it was partly favouritism by the staff."

**Utterly bewildered, Harry stared at the fire. A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.**

**"You called, Severus?" said Lupin mildly.**

**"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this."**

**Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.**

"I was shocked and confused about how you ended up with it." Remus admitted. "I thought Filch still had it."

"Nope." Fred and George smirked.

**"Well?" said Snape.**

**Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that Lupin was doing some very quick thinking.**

**"Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic."**

**"Dark Magic?"**

**"This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"**

**Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry's direction, warned him not to interrupt.**

"Glad you got the message." Remus told him, "It would have been bad if you had interrupted." Harry nodded.

**"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop -"**

**"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"**

**Harry didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin.**

"Yeah, but Moony's a good actor." James said.

"Hanging out with you two would make anyone a 'good actor'." Remus added.

"Because they were always getting you into trouble and you were the one that had to talk your way out of it?" Minerva suggested. Remus nodded.

**"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he said. "Harry, do you know any of these men?"**

**"No," said Harry quickly.**

**"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, turning back to Snape. "It looks like a Zonko product to me -"**

**Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office. He was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak.**

**"I - gave - Harry - that - stuff," he choked. "Bought - it... in Zonko's... ages - ago..."**

**"Well!" said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around cheerfully.**

"Your going a bit overboard, mate." Sirius said, laughing with the others at Remus's enthusiasm.

**"That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Harry, Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay - excuse us, Severus -"**

**Harry didn't dare look at Snape as they left his office. He, Ron, and Lupin walked all the way back into the entrance hall before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin.**

**"Professor, I -"**

**"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. He glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as Harry and Ron looked amazed. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry."**

"Why can't you let him keep it Moony?", James whined.

"It was because of Sirius." Remus said, causing Sirius to glare at him, "You were supposed to be a murderer, I didn't want you getting the map."

"Fine." Sirius huffed, admitting that the sandy-haired Marauder had a good reason.

**Harry had expected that, and was too keen for explanations to protest.**

**"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?"**

**"Because..." Lupin hesitated, "because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."**

"We would." James agreed.

**"Do you know them?" said Harry, impressed.**

**"We've met," he said shortly. He was looking at Harry more seriously than ever before.**

**"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously."**

The occupants of the room all gave Sirius a warning look to keep him from using the Sirius/Serious pun.

He glared at them and muttered, "No fun."

**"But I would have thought that what you have heard when the Dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them - gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."**

**He walked away, leaving Harry feeling worse by far than he had at any point in Snape's office.**

"Yeah, Moony can make you feel that way." Sirius said. Remus glared at him and Sirius smiled sheepishly, "You can make us feel guilty sometimes..."

"And that's hard to do." James put in.

"Oh, you're not going to like the end of this memory." Harry said.

"Why? It's nothing dangerous is it?" Dora asked.

"No... It's just sad, and it might make you want to hex Draco." Hermione said.

"Which I will ask you not to do because it's mostly his Father's fault anyway." Harry added. Everyone looked confused but agreed.

**Slowly, he and Ron mounted the marble staircase. As Harry passed the one-eyed witch, he remembered the Invisibility Cloak - it was still down there, but he didn't dare go and get it.**

**"It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it -"**

**He broke off; they reached the corridor where the security trolls were pacing, and Hermione was walking toward them. One look at her face convinced Harry that she had heard what had happened. His heart plummeted - had she told Professor McGonagall?**

**"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"**

**"No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know... Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."**

"WHAT!" those who hadn't known yelled.

"Poor Buckbeak." Lily sighed.

"Wait isn't he the..." Sirius was cut off by Ron.

"Yes."

"Then how did..." Remus started.

"Shush." Harry cut him off. "I will only tell you me and Hermione did it."

"Did what?" James asked looking confused.

"Nothing illegal... much." Hermione smirked.

"Let me guess, this is a wait and see thing?" Regulus asked making the Golden Trio nod, "You have a lot of them." he complained.

"Well we like to keep secrecy between us and since we're being nice and showing all of you this then you can't complain." Harry chuckled.

"What he means is no-one knows about any of our adventures in detail so we're showing a lot of our secrets no-one knows." Hermione explained, "It's just a little difficult for us to re-live some parts of our past."

"It's worse for me, you all hear my thoughts and see things from my point of view unless it's one of your memories." Harry reminded her. "And it doesn't get really bad until 4th year." he added.

"Which means you lot don't need to worry yet." Ron told the rest of the room.

"Yipee." the twins muttered sarcastically.

"You know what's going to happen though so it's easy for you to say don't worry. We don't know so we might not be able to help worrying." Dora pointed out.

Harry looked at his two best friends.

"She has a point." he told them.

"How about this? If we're not worrying you don't need to worry." Hermione suggested, "I think we've mentioned it before but even Ron and I don't know everything."

"That seems fair but sometimes it can't be avoided." Lily said.

"True. It's human instinct to worry about something you don't know about." Minerva sighed, "Sometimes you do know about it but you still worry or have similar emotions."

"Like dread." Kingsley nodded, "Or nervousness. I remember every time I went on a mission with the Aurors I was always nervous about the mission itself or worried about what my team would find."

"And most of the time it was better than what we'd worried about." Dora nodded. "I remember that feeling. You would always feel guilty for being happy or received about what you'd find being better than what you thought it would."

"I think we had a few moments like that." Ron commented. "Did we?"

"Umm... I actually can't remember." Hermione admitted.

"There might have been one or two but I can't remember what they were." Harry frowned. "Which is odd because I could swear that the times it happened would have been impossible to forget." he frowned.

"I know one." Ginny said, "The night Dumbledore died."

"Oh yeah. The aftermath of that was better than what we thought it was." Harry nodded, "I heard someone was dead but it was Bill being attacked and Neville being knocked out." he explained, "I was relieved they were alive obviously but I felt guilty because of the injuries they had."

"I think we all felt like that." Molly nodded.

Bill sighed, "I thought I was dead the minute Greyback started attacking me, I was relieved when I woke up."

"We all were." Fleur smiled.

"Shall we move onto the next memory?" Harry suggested.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69 - Third Year (Part 7)

10th, August, 1998. 3.15pm.

"This one is the event's following Hagrid's note. It's a long memory so get comfortable." Harry warned.

**"He sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.**

**Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read.**

**Dear Hermione,**

**We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London.**

**I won't forget all the help you gave us.**

**Hagrid**

"They can't do that, it's Malfoy's fault!", Sirius shouted.

"Sorry." Draco winced apologetically.

**"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."**

**"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope... Nothing will have changed."**

**"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."**

**"Oh, Ron!"**

**Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head.**

They all started laughing, even Ron and Hermione, who were blushing slightly.

**Finally, Hermione drew away.**

**"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers..." she sobbed.**

**"Oh - well - he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."**

**The safety measures imposed on the students since Black's second break-in made it impossible for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Their only chance of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons.**

"Sorry." Sirius said. "I never meant to let anyone see me."

"Need to work on your not being seen skills then don't you?" Dora giggled, Teddy looked at her to see what she was doing, he was sitting on Remus's knee.

"At least I never failed it when I was in Auror training." he retorted.

"I never failed." she blushed, her hair going light pink, "I almost failed."

Teddy, who had watched her, changed his hair to match her's and giggled.

"You almost failed the disguise one Paddy." Remus smirked. "And I think Teddy's copying you Dora." she looked at her son and changed her hair to bright yellow and he copied her.

"I think you're right." she laughed.

**He seemed numb with shock at the verdict.**

**"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em..."**

**"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don't give up yet, we're working on it!"**

**They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.**

**"S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."**

**Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.**

**"Look at him blubber!"**

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening.**

**"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"**

"Really?" Cissy asked, "You couldn't resist could you?"

"No." Draco muttered.

"Don't worry, Hermione get's him back for that one." Ron smirked.

**Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first - SMACK!**

**She had slapped Malfoy across the face**

They all started howling with laughter, except Draco who rubbed where she had hit him.

"That hurt you know." he muttered.

"Good. It was supposed to." Hermione grinned.

**with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.**

**"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -"**

**"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.**

**"Get off, Ron!"**

**Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.**

**"C'mon." Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons.**

**"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.**

**"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"**

**"We're due in Charms," said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."**

**They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom.**

**"You're late, boys!" said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Harry opened the classroom door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs -"**

**Harry and Ron hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags. Ron looked behind him.**

**"Where's Hermione gone?"**

"You might want to get to Charms, you could use a cheering charm." Sirius told her.

"That's what I told Harry." Ron laughed.

**Harry looked around too. Hermione hadn't entered the classroom, yet Harry knew she had been right next to him when he had opened the door.**

**"That's weird," said Harry, staring at Ron. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"**

**But Hermione didn't turn up all lesson.**

**"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too," said Ron as the class left for lunch, all grinning broadly - the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment.**

**Hermione wasn't at lunch either. By the time they had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms were wearing off, and Harry and Ron had started to get slightly worried.**

**"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron said anxiously as they hurried upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower.**

"Nope." Draco said, "I wasn't keen on getting punched again."

**They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password ("Flibbertigibbet"), and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room.**

**Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Harry prodded her awake.**

**"Wh - what?" said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W - which lesson have we got now?"**

**"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes," said Harry. "Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?"**

**"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms!"**

**"But how could you forget?" said Harry.**

"Good question." James muttered.

**"You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"**

**"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"**

**"You know what, Hermione?" said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."**

**"No, I'm not!" said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry... I'll see you in Divination!"**

**Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harassed.**

**"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!"**

**Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room. Glowing on every little table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down together at the same rickety table.**

**"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term," Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby.**

**"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry,"**

They all cheered and Ron said, "I hated Divination."

"I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at me." Harry muttered back.

**"Good day to you!" said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball.**

**"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb,"**

"Don't the teachers write the exams?" Petunia asked.

Minerva nodded. "All the student's know that but apparently she didn't know they knew."

**"and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."**

**Hermione snorted.**

**"Well, honestly... 'the fates have informed her'. Who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" she said,**

They all started laughing again.

**not troubling to keep her voice low. Harry and Ron choked back laughs.**

**It was hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney had heard them as her face was hidden in shadow. She continued, however, as though she had not.**

**"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," she said dreamily. "I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes -" Ron began to snigger uncontrollably and had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise - "so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class."**

**And so they began. Harry, at least, felt extremely foolish, staring blankly at the crystal ball, trying to keep his mind empty when thoughts such as "this is stupid" kept drifting across it.**

The twins, Marauders, Ron and Harry started laughing while the others smiled.

**It didn't help that Ron kept breaking into silent giggles and Hermione kept tutting.**

**"Seen anything yet?" Harry asked them after a quarter of an hour's quiet crystal gazing.**

**"Yeah, there's a burn on this table," said Ron, pointing. "Someone's spilled their candle."**

**"This is such a waste of time," Hermione hissed. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms -"**

**Professor Trelawney rustled past.**

**"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" she murmured over the clinking of her bangles.**

**"I don't need help," Ron whispered. "It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight."**

They all burst out laughing again.

"Was there any fog?" Dudley asked through his laughter.

Ron and Harry looked at each other.

"Yes. There was actually." Ron chuckled.

"Not a lot but it was foggy." Harry added.

**Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing.**

**"Now, really!" said Professor Trelawney as everyone's heads turned in their direction. Parvati and Lavender were looking scandalized. "You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!" She approached their table and peered into their crystal ball. Harry felt his heart sinking. He was sure he knew what was coming -**

**"There is something here!" Professor Trelawney whispered, lowering her face to the ball, so that it was reflected twice in her huge glasses. "Something moving... but what is it?"**

**Harry was prepared to bet everything he owned, including his Firebolt, that it wasn't good news, whatever it was. And sure enough -**

**"My dear," Professor Trelawney breathed, gazing up at Harry. "It is here, plainer than ever before… my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer... the Gr -"**

"Not again!" Lily groaned.

**"Oh, for goodness' sake!" said Hermione loudly. "Not that ridiculous Grim again!"**

**Professor Trelawney raised her enormous eyes to Hermione's face. Parvati whispered something to Lavender, and they both glared at Hermione too. Professor Trelawney stood up, surveying Hermione with unmistakable anger.**

**"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane."**

**There was a moment's silence. Then -**

**"Fine!" said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming Unfogging the Future back into her bag. "Fine!" she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Ron off his chair.**

They all laughed as Hermione gave Ron an apologetic look.

**"I give up! I'm leaving!"**

**And to the whole class's amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight.**

**It took a few minutes for the class to settle down again. Professor Trelawney seemed to have forgotten all about the Grim.**

"Impossible." Sirius said, causing a few laughs around the room.

"Actually... Now that I think about it, almost every time she said she saw the Grim I saw you, or Padfoot that is, shortly after it." Harry frowned. "I still think she's a fraud though." he added.

**She turned abruptly from Harry and Ron's table, breathing rather heavily as she tugged her gauzy shawl more closely to her.**

**"Ooooo!" said Lavender suddenly, making everyone start. "Ooooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? 'Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!"**

**Professor Trelawney gave her a dewy smile.**

**"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us."**

"I guess she's bound to get something now and then." Regulus sighed.

"I think it was more along the lines of her timing was off." Harry added, "There was some things she got right, the whole 'death comes closer' thing was partly right because she meant the Grim got closer when it was really Padfoot getting closer the whole time." he mused, "She's been right about a few other things but because they sound so far-fetched no-one believes her." he shrugged.

"She has had her moments but she's still mostly a fraud?" James guessed.

"That's one way to put it." he nodded.

**"One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs... The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know..."**

**Lavender and Parvati looked deeply impressed, and moved over so that Professor Trelawney could join their table instead.**

**"Some day Hermione's having, eh?" Ron muttered to Harry, looking awed.**

**"Yeah..."**

**Harry glanced into the crystal ball but saw nothing but swirling white mist. Had Professor Trelawney really seen the Grim again?**

"No." Sirius said.

**Would he?**

"Nope."

"Yes." Harry said. "Just not the Grim."

"When?" Hermione asked.

"That night on the ground's. He was with Crookshanks at the edge of the Forbidden Forest." he explained.

**The last thing he needed was another near-fatal accident, with the Quidditch final drawing ever nearer.**

**The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third years had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn't the only one.**

**"Call this a holiday!" Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"**

"Just keeping you busy." Minerva chuckled, "Besides most people can't remember something the first time their told it so the teachers make it repetitive."

**But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes,**

Remus frowned, "I don't like that comparison much. It sounds as though you haven't been sleeping well."

"I wasn't." Hermione admitted.

**and seemed constantly close to tears.**

**Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormously thick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks.**

Sirius gasped dramatically and Ron glared at him, sending a silencing charm at him making him pout and the others cheer.

**Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor - Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points.**

**"So you must catch it only if we're more than fifty points up," Wood told Harry constantly.**

"Sounds like James." Remus said quietly. Dora, Ginny and Harry heard him and they tried not to smile.

**"Only if we're more than fifty points up, Harry, or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, Haven't you? You must catch the Snitch only if we're -"**

**"I KNOW, OLIVER!" Harry yelled.**

**The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second oldest brother) had been Seeker.**

"Which was annoying because Slytherin almost always won and Severus liked to rub it in." Minerva frowned.

**But Harry doubted whether any of them, even Wood, wanted to win as much as he did. The enmity between Harry and Malfoy was at its highest point ever. Malfoy was still smarting about the mud-throwing incident in Hogsmeade and was even more furious that Harry had somehow wormed his way out of punishment. Harry hadn't forgotten Malfoy's attempt to sabotage him in the match against Ravenclaw, but it was the matter of Buckbeak that made him most determined to beat Malfoy in front of the entire school.**

**Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.**

**Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harry should be accompanied everywhere he went, in case the Slytherins tried to put him out of action.**

"I had wondered about that." Ginny giggled, "You were always surrounded by at least 10 people everywhere you went."

"It was annoying. I was almost constantly late for class." Harry groaned.

**The whole of Gryffindor House took up the challenge enthusiastically, so that it was impossible for Harry to get to classes on time because he was surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd. Harry was more concerned for his Firebolt's safety than his own. When he wasn't flying it, he locked it securely in his trunk and frequently dashed back up to Gryffindor Tower at break times to check that it was still there.**

**All usual pursuits were abandoned in the Gryffindor common room the night before the match. Even Hermione had put down her books.**

**"I can't work, I can't concentrate," she said nervously.**

**There was a great deal of noise. Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever.**

Remus shook his head, "That's what these two did." he said pointing to James and the still silenced Sirius.

"Until I came over and hexed them you mean?" Lily smiled.

"Yes. Or until he gave us ideas for pranks." James chuckled. "Right Paddy?" Sirius tried to talk before realising he was still silenced, "Oop's here." James waved his hand.

"Thank you. And he's right Moony gave us prank ideas if Lily wasn't there to hex us." Sirius smiled.

"You had to un-silence him." Ron chuckled.

"Of course. It's better not to silence him because when you take it off he get's louder and more annoying." Remus muttered.

"Do not!" Sirius protested childishly. "I'll prove it by being quiet."

"You do that." James smirked, "This ought to be interesting." he whispered to Lily who giggled.

**Oliver Wood was crouched over a model of a Quidditch field in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were laughing at Fred's and George's jokes.**

**Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione, removed from the center of things, trying not to think about the next day, because every time he did, he had the horrible sensation that something very large was fighting to get out of his stomach.**

**"You're going to be fine," Hermione told him, though she looked positively terrified.**

**"You've got a Firebolt!" said Ron.**

**"Yeah..." said Harry, his stomach writhing.**

**It came as a relief when Wood suddenly stood up and yelled, "Team! Bed!"**

**Harry slept badly. First he dreamed that he had overslept, and that Wood was yelling, "Where were you? We had to use Neville instead!"**

"Am I really that bad?" Neville chuckled.

**Then he dreamed that Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team arrived for the match riding dragons.**

"I don't think Madam Hooch would allow that." James laughed.

"Neither would Minnie." the twins added.

**He was flying at breakneck speed, trying to avoid a spurt of flames from Malfoy's steed's mouth, when he realized he had forgotten his Firebolt. He fell through the air and woke with a start.**

**It was a few seconds before Harry remembered that the match hadn't taken place yet, that he was safe in bed, and that the Slytherin team definitely wouldn't be allowed to play on dragons. He was feeling very thirsty. Quietly as he could, he got out of his four-poster and went to pour himself some water from the silver jug beneath the window.**

**The grounds were still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbed the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow was motionless and innocent-looking. It looked as though the conditions for the match would be perfect.**

**Harry set down his goblet and was about to turn back to his bed when something caught his eye. An animal of some kind was prowling across the silvery lawn.**

**Harry dashed to his bedside table, snatched up his glasses, and put them on, then hurried back to the window. It couldn't be the Grim**

"No it's not." Luna said, sighing.

**- not now - not right before the match -**

**He peered out at the grounds again and, after a minute's frantic searching, spotted it. It was skirting the edge of the forest now... It wasn't the Grim at all... it was a cat... Harry clutched the window ledge in relief as he recognized the bottlebrush tail. It was only Crookshanks...**

**Or was it only Crookshanks? Harry squinted, pressing his nose flat against the glass. Crookshanks seemed to have come to a halt. Harry was sure he could see something else moving in the shadow of the trees too.**

**And just then, it emerged - a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. Harry stared. What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see the dog as well, how could it be an omen of Harry's death?**

"It's not!" Sirius shouted. Harry had to suppress a laugh.

"So much for being quiet." Ginny giggled. "You went a whole two minutes."

Sirius went red and shut his mouth quickly.

**"Ron!" Harry hissed. "Ron! Wake up!"**

**"Huh?"**

**"I need you to tell me if you can see something!"**

**"S'all dark, Harry,"**

They all laughed.

**Ron muttered thickly. "What're you on about?"**

**"Down here -"**

**Harry looked quickly back out of the window.**

**Crookshanks and the dog had vanished. Harry climbed onto the windowsill to look right down into the shadows of the castle, but they weren't there. Where had they gone?**

**A loud snore told him Ron had fallen asleep again.**

"You really don't have much of an attention span when you first wake up." Harry said, causing Ron to stick his tongue out at him.

**Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly**

"Like the snakes they are." James said under his breath. Lily heard him anyway and smacked the back of his head.

**as they passed. Harry noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual.**

"I wasn't looking forward to playing you." Draco explained.

"More like Flint threatened to curse you if you lost." Astoria frowned.

"Which is why I went to Uncle Sev."

"Uncle Sev?" Amber asked looking amused.

"Well he was my Godfather." Draco said defensivley.

"And he couldn't say 'Severus' when he was younger. Severus never bothered to correct him." Cissy shrugged.

"He told me it was better than what I called him before Uncle Sev." Draco explained.

"And what was that?" Astoria asked.

"Uncle Sevvie." Cissy smirked. Everyone laughed while Draco blushed.

"You were the same with me Harry." Petunia chucked. "You used to call me Aunt Tuney, you either wouldn't or couldn't say the 'Pe' part until you were 3."

"It was probably partly my fault." Lily smiled, "I told him about you a few times and he started copying me."

"Amazingly I remember that." Harry smirked, "It was that I wouldn't say it not couldn't."

**Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.**

**"Good luck, Harry!" called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing.**

Both Harry and Ginny gave Sirius, James and the twins a warning look and they kept quiet.

**"Okay - no wind to speak of - sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it - ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff -"**

**Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.**

**"Locker rooms," said Wood tersely.**

**None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Harry wondered if they were feeling like he was: as though he'd eaten something extremely wriggly for breakfast.**

"Your right." Fred agreed.

"We did." George added.

**In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, "Okay, it's time, let's go -"**

**They walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP." Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.**

**"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -"**

**Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of 'boos' from the Slytherin end.**

**"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill -"**

**More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Harry, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous.**

"All the best to knock you off your broom.", James said bitterly. Harry nodded in agreement.

"That's exactly what Flint said." Draco nodded.

**"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.**

**Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.**

**"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."**

**The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Harry felt his hair fly back off his forehead; his nerves left him in the thrill of the flight; he glanced around, saw Malfoy on his tail, and sped off in search of the Snitch.**

**"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no - Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field - WHAM! - nice Bludger work there by George Weasley,"**

"How could Lee tell us apart?" Fred asked, "He usually couldn't when we were flying."

"We let him in on how to do it." George reminded him. "He'd been complaining so we told him and made him promise not to reveal anything to anyone."

"Oh yeah... Have any of you figured it out yet?" Fred asked the rest of the room.

"It seems as though it should be obvious." Arthur sighed, "Not yet though."

The others shook their heads, except the Marauders, Lily and Dora.

"We figured it out last night." James smirked as Lily and Sirius nodded, "We won't tell anyone."

"I already knew how to from when I was teaching you and I told Dora." Remus shrugged, "Very clever way to do it."

"Great." George smiled, "Well done for figuring it out -"

"- And we appreciate you keeping it quiet for now." Fred finished, "We'll consider telling the rest of you if you've not figured it out by the time we've finished going over all of the 7 years Harry's showing us." he smirked.

**"Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by - Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina - nice swerve around Montague - duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger! - SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"**

**Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight**

**"OUCH!"**

**Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her.**

**"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"**

"Yeah right." Minerva scoffed, "I was watching him, he done it on purpose."

**A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.**

They all cheered, Lily, Remus, Minerva and Hermione a little less than the others.

**"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"**

**"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.**

**"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY - ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"**

**Harry turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched.**

**"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass - very difficult indeed - YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"**

**Relieved, Harry zoomed away, gazing around for the Snitch, but still making sure he caught every word of Lee's commentary. It was essential that he hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor was more than fifty points up -**

**"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession - no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field - THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"**

**Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head.**

They all let out roars of protest.

**Katie cart-wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle.**

**Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin Seeker.**

**"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING -"**

**"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way -"**

**"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"**

**Harry felt a huge jolt of excitement. He had seen the Snitch - it was shimmering at the foot of one of the Gryffindor goal posts - but he mustn't catch it yet - and if Malfoy saw it -**

**Faking a look of sudden concentration, Harry pulled his Firebolt around and sped off toward the Slytherin end - it worked. Malfoy went haring after him, clearly thinking Harry had seen the Snitch there...**

**WHOOSH.**

**One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again...**

**WHOOSH.**

**The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in.**

**Harry had a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zooming toward him, clubs raised - He turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch.**

They all laughed and applauded, except Harry, who smiled triumphantly.

**"Ha haaa!" yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle - Flint alongside her - poke him in the eye, Angelina!"**

"Minnie won't like that." James said through his laughter.

**"- it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke - oh no - Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save -!"**

**But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.**

**"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession -"**

**It was turning into the dirtiest game Harry had ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor.**

**The Snitch had disappeared again. Malfoy was still keeping close to Harry as he soared over the match, looking around for it once Gryffindor was fifty points ahead -**

**Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded.**

"They can't do that!" Regulus protested.

**Madam Hooch was beside herself -**

**"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"**

**And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal - seventy-ten.**

**The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse - Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. Harry could almost feel hundreds of eyes following him as he soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind him.**

**And then he saw it. The Snitch was sparkling twenty feet above him.**

"Get it Harry!" they all urged, (Except Harry of course.)

**Harry put on a huge burst of speed; the wind was roaring in his ears; he stretched out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down -**

**Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back.**

**"You -"**

**Harry was angry enough to hit Malfoy, but couldn't reach - Malfoy was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'd wanted to do - the Snitch had disappeared again.**

**"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics." Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.**

**"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach.**

The Marauders, twins, Ron and Harry started laughing.

**"YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B -"**

**Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction,**

The four Marauders started roaring with laughter.

"Brilliant Minnie!" James cheered. Minerva blushed.

**her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.**

**Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights.**

**"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal - Montague scores -" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor..."**

**Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch...**

**"Get out of it, Potter!" Malfoy yelled in frustration as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him.**

"That was annoying." Draco muttered.

"That was the point. If you were annoyed you weren't looking for the Snitch." Harry grinned. "That trick never failed."

**"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"**

**Harry looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper - they were all going to block her - Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins.**

**"AAAAAAARRRGH!"**

**They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina's way was clear.**

**"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!"**

**Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field.**

**And then he saw something to make his heart stand still. Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face - there, a few feet above the grass below, was a tiny, golden glimmer -**

**Harry urged the Firebolt downward, but Malfoy was miles ahead -**

**"Go! Go! Go!" Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy - Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him - he was at Malfoy's ankles - he was level -**

**Harry threw himself forward, took both hands off his broom. He knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and -**

**"YES!"**

**He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers.**

**Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into his shoulder.**

They all started laughing and Sirius said, "Wood's going to love you Harry."

**Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's voices, "We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!" Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth.**

**Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Hands were raining down on their backs. Harry had a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him. Then he, and the rest of the team, were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Thrust into the light, he saw Hagrid, Plastered with crimson rosettes - "Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!"**

**There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood,**

"Minnie's going to love you too." Sirius added, making Harry laugh and Minerva smile softly.

**wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; and there, fighting their way toward Harry, were Ron and Hermione. Words failed them. They simply beamed as Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup.**

**If only there had been a Dementor around... As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.**

"It probably would have worked too." Remus chuckled.

"Probably." Harry agreed. "Right next one."

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	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70 - Third Year (Part 7.5)

10th, August, 1998.

"This is around exam time." Harry explained, "Remus's was the most fun exam." he added.

"It was." Ron and Hermione agreed.

"What did you do?" Dora asked her husband, Teddy had fallen asleep on him at some point.

"It was a little obstacle course on the ground's." he told her, "They had to get passed the creature's we had covered in class. Not the dangerous ones obviously." he added, "Just things like Grindylows, Red Caps and Hinkypunks. And another Boggart." he grinned.

"Brilliant." James grinned.

"I was watching from the forest it looked quite cool." Sirius admitted, "I was just lucky there wasn't much wind."

"Why?" Dudley asked.

"I would have recognised his scent and seen him." Remus explained, "It's kind of like a personal tracker. If I know the scent I can find the source."

"Which is why he always won hide and seek." James muttered. "Padfoot did it too so I banned the game between us." he explained.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"This memory is important. It's during my Divination exam but it's after it that's important." Harry explained.

**"Well?" Professor Trelawney prompted delicately. "What do you see?"**

**The heat was overpowering and his nostrils were stinging with the perfumed smoke wafting from the fire beside them. He thought of what Ron had just said, and decided to pretend.**

**"Er ****-****" said Harry, "a dark shape... um..."**

**"What does it resemble?" whispered Professor Trelawney. "Think, now..."**

**Harry cast his mind around and it landed on Buckbeak.**

**"A Hippogriff," he said firmly.**

**"Indeed!" whispered Professor Trelawney, scribbling keenly on the parchment perched upon her knees. "My boy, you may well be seeing the outcome of poor Hagrid's trouble with the Ministry of Magic! Look closer... Does the Hippogriff appear to... have its head?"**

**"Yes," said Harry firmly.**

"She won't be happy." Hermione giggled.

**"Are you sure?" Professor Trelawney urged him. "Are you quite sure, dear? You don't see it writhing on the ground, perhaps, and a shadowy figure raising an axe behind it?"**

**"No!" said Harry, starting to feel slightly sick.**

**"No blood? No weeping Hagrid?"**

**"No!" said Harry again, wanting more than ever to leave the room and the heat. "It looks fine, it's ****-**** flying away..."**

Ron looked closely at Harry, "I think you might be a seer." he whispered. Harry snorted.

**Professor Trelawney sighed.**

**"Well, dear, I think we'll leave it there... A little disappointing... but I'm sure you did your best."**

**Relieved, Harry got up, picked up his bag and turned to go, but then a loud, harsh voice spoke behind him.**

**"IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT."**

**Harry wheeled around. Professor Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging.**

**"S ****-**** sorry?" said Harry.**

**But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes started to roll. Harry sat there in a panic. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure.**

"She must be having a real prediction." Lily said.

The Golden Trio nodded.

"This makes two." Harry confirmed.

"Two?" Minerva asked.

"She made the one about Voldemort's downfall." Ron explained.

"It was her?" James asked shocked, Harry nodded.

**He hesitated, thinking of running to the hospital wing ****-**** and then Professor Trelawney spoke again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own:**

**"THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT... THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER."**

"What?" Sirius asked weakly.

"You know what." Hermione sighed.

**"****THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN****"**

The returnees looked terrified.

**"WITH HIS SERVANT'S AID, GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAN EVER HE WAS. TONIGHT... BEFORE MIDNIGHT... THE SERVANT... WILL SET OUT... TO REJOIN... HIS MASTER..."**

"That was the important bit." Harry smiled sadly. "She never remembered any of it."

"Once he had joined us he was going to tell us but ended up forgetting. Buckbeak's appeal was that day and he lost." Hermione explained.

"We were going to go see Hagrid but we couldn't without the invisibility cloak and it was still in the passage from when Snape caught Harry." Ron added.

"Hermione asked me where it was and how you work the passage and I told her and amazingly she went and got the cloak for us. So we went down to Hagrid's and that's where we're starting." Harry grinned.

**They went down to dinner with everybody else, but did not return to Gryffindor Tower afterward. Harry had the cloak hidden down the front of his robes; he had to keep his arms folded to hide the lump. They skulked in an empty chamber off the entrance hall, listening, until they were sure it was deserted. They heard a last pair of people hurrying across the hall and a door slamming. Hermione poked her head around the door.**

**"Okay," she whispered, "no one there ****-**** cloak on ****-****"**

**Walking very close together so that nobody would see them, they crossed the hall on tiptoe beneath the cloak, then walked down the stone front steps into the grounds. The sun was already sinking behind the Forbidden Forest, gilding the top branches of the trees.**

**They reached Hagrid's cabin and knocked. He was a minute in answering, and when he did, he looked all around for his visitor, pale-faced and trembling.**

**"It's us," Harry hissed. "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."**

**"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered, but he stood back, and they stepped inside. Hagrid shut the door quickly and Harry pulled off the cloak.**

**Hagrid was not crying, nor did he throw himself upon their necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was or what to do. This helplessness was worse to watch than tears.**

**"Wan' some tea?" he said. His great hands were shaking as he reached for the kettle.**

**"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" said Hermione hesitantly.**

**"I ****-**** I took him outside," said Hagrid, spilling milk all over the table as he filled up the jug. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an' ****-**** an' smell fresh air ****-**** before ****-****"**

**Hagrid's hand trembled so violently that the milk jug slipped from his grasp and shattered all over the floor.**

**"I'll do it, Hagrid," said Hermione quickly, hurrying over and starting to clean up the mess.**

**"There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid said, sitting down and wiping his forehead on his sleeve. Harry glanced at Ron, who looked back hopelessly.**

**"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked fiercely, sitting down next to him. "Dumbledore -****"**

**"He's tried," said Hagrid. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared... Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like... threatened 'em, I expect... an' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's"**

"Previous Death Eater?" Amber asked.

Harry, Draco and Cissy nodded.

**"... but it'll be quick an' clean... an' I'll be beside him..."**

**Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort.**

**"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it ****-**** while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter ****-**** ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore..."**

**Hermione, who had been rummaging in Hagrid's cupboard for another milk jug, let out a small, quickly stifled sob. She straightened up with the new jug in her hands, fighting back tears.**

**"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," she began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head.**

**"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway... If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big trouble."**

**Silent tears were now streaming down Hermione's face, but she hid them from Hagrid, bustling around making tea. Then, as she picked up the milk bottle to pour some into the jug, she let out a shriek.**

**"Ron, I don't believe it ****-**** it's Scabbers!"**

"Huh?" Bill asked.

**Ron gaped at her.**

**"What are you talking about?"**

**Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table.**

**"Scabbers!" said Ron blankly. "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"**

**He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself.**

**"It's okay, Scabbers!" said Ron. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"**

**Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally ruddy face had gone the color of parchment.**

**"They're comin'..."**

"Quick warning, things are going to go quite tense and serious now." Harry warned.

"Of course there going to get serious, I'm about to show up." Sirius smirked. Everyone groaned at the pun.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione whipped around. A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, Macnair.**

**"Yeh gotta go," said Hagrid. Every inch of him was trembling. "They mustn' find yeh here... Go now..."**

**Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione picked up the cloak. "I'll let yeh out the back way," said Hagrid.**

**They followed him to the door into his back garden. Harry felt strangely unreal, and even more so when he saw Buckbeak a few yards away, tethered to a tree behind Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Buckbeak seemed to know something was happening. He turned his sharp head from side to side and pawed the ground nervously.**

**"It's okay, Beaky," said Hagrid softly. "It's okay..." He turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on," he said. "Get goin'."**

**But they didn't move.**

**"Hagrid, we can't ****-****"**

**"We'll tell them what really happened ****-****"**

**"They can't kill him ****-****"**

**"Go!" said Hagrid fiercely. "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"**

**They had no choice. As Hermione threw the cloak over Harry and Ron, they heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where they had just vanished from sight.**

**"Go quick," he said hoarsely. "Don' listen..."**

**And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked at the front door.**

**Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the front door closed with a sharp snap.**

**"Please, let's hurry," Hermione whispered. "I can't stand it, I can't bear it..."**

**They started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged gray, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.**

**Ron stopped dead.**

**"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione began.**

**"It's Scabbers ****-**** he won't ****-**** stay put ****-****"**

**Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand.**

"What's up with Scabbers?" Percy asked.

The Golden Trio didn't answer him, neither did the others who knew the truth behind the rats identity.

**"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron," Ron hissed.**

**They heard a door open behind them and men's voices.**

**"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione breathed.**

**"Okay ****-**** Scabbers, stay put ****-****"**

**They walked forward; Harry, like Hermione, was trying not to listen to the rumble of voices behind them. Ron stopped again.**

**"I can't hold him ****-**** Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us ****-****"**

**The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe.**

**Hermione swayed on the spot.**

**"They did it!" she whispered to Harry. "I'****d****-****don't believe it ****-**** they did it!"**

"This is confusing because you said..."

"Yes, we know what we said." Harry cut Sirius off. "We know it's confusing but it will be shown because it's something you have to see to believe."

"It's also too hard to explain." Hermione added.

"I missed out on this one but when these two told me I didn't understand or believe it." Ron put in, "I eventually believed it after an hour or two but I still don't really understand." he explained.

"Which is why you have to see it instead of us explaining." Harry smiled. "Let's have a break for dinner. It's 4.30 so we can continue until... What time is moonrise?"

"9pm." Remus answered.

"We will continue until 8 then." Harry nodded, "Minerva may I have a word please?" she nodded and the two went into a corner of the room and set up privacy wards while the others got ready for dinner.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71 - The Question's.

10th, August, 1998.

"So Harry what's on your mind." Minerva asked kindly.

"I was going to ask if you will allow me and the other Lycan's the use of the Forbidden Forest tonight for the full moon." he said.

Minerva thought for a minute then nodded, "That should be possible. The Acromantulas never returned after the war so there's not too many dangerous animals that could hurt or kill you in there anymore. Hagrid will have to be told though." she warned, "He might try to kill you if he doesn't know and if he see's you all as a threat."

"Well the articles about us being Lycan's will have reached the wizarding world by now." he mused, "Or they should have at least. But we'll tell Hagrid before moonrise anyway." he nodded.

"Then that should be fine." Minerva smiled, "But I'm guessing that wasn't all you had to ask?" she guessed.

"You're right but Ginny has to join us as this next question involves us both." he admitted just as Ginny walked over and through the privacy spell. "How'd you know I was about to come get you?"

"I was listening through our bond." she admitted, "You were thinking loudly, I could hear you but no one else did."

"Oh good." he grinned. "So Minerva, we were talking when we decided to adopt the two twins and since we're taking them we wanted to know if it would be possible for us to visit them at weekends and maybe some weekday's upon our return to Hogwarts." he explained.

"It should be possible." Minerva nodded, "You're both 17 now so I can't really stop you. And even though you're still student's yourselves, since your teachers to the class of Muggleborns that couldn't attend last year, you will have a few of the powers that come with being a teacher." she explained.

Harry and Ginny were both a little shocked.

"When I say a few of the powers of a teacher I mean you can set detentions, give and take away points to all houses and a few other things but if you abuse the powers they will be removed." she warned.

The two teens nodded.

"Of course. We won't abuse the powers. But about us leaving the school, I'm guessing we have to tell you first?" Ginny asked.

"Naturally. Even the full teachers have to tell me or Professor Flitwick."

"Why Professor Flitwick if you don't mind me asking?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. Professor Flitwick is the new Deputy Headmaster."

"No one better for the job." Ginny smiled.

"Glad you think so. Horace Slughorn has also agreed to stay and be the potion's teacher as well as head of Slytherin house." Minerva added. "There's been a few changes in staff this year actually. But you will know what they are at the opening feast on the 10th of September."

"10th?" Ginny frowned.

"The year's starting a bit later this year, there's still last checks on the castle going on after the re-building and the Death Eater's made a huge mess of the student files so we're still fixing that." she explained, "It'll be in the letters to the students to explain what's going on." the two teens nodded.

"We should join the other's." Harry said. He took down the privacy spell's and moved towards the kitchen but Minerva stopped him so he waved for Ginny to continue. "You needed something Minerva?"

"Yes. I was going to tell you earlier but not in front of everyone." she admitted, "But you're doing a great job with the memories so far and you seem to be handling the return of your parent's quite well... I'm proud of how far you've come since the end of the war. You always had the hardest times and your life has almost never been fair but you kept going through it all."

Harry was blushing as she continued.

"As hard as your life got you have done much more than many on this planet. I know I shouldn't be saying this but you really are one of my favourite student's." she smiled.

Harry was brick-red and he cleared his throat before talking, "Well... Thank you Minerva. It really means a lot to me." he said truthfully, "You were always one of my favourite teacher's, even if you were a bit stern at times." he added.

"Thank you Harry. If you ever need help or advice or even just to talk, you know where I am. I may be old but I still remember what it was like when I was your age." she smiled again, "The same offer goes to your closest friends." she added, "You lot were probably my favourite students since your father and his friends were at school."

On impulse Harry hugged Minerva, "Thank you." he said again, "I appreciate it and it really does mean a lot to me. I never really had good role models growing up." he sighed letting her go, "But once I reached Hogwarts there was usually someone there, an adult that is, when I needed one and somehow you were usually the one that could help if I couldn't find Dumbledore." he explained smiling, "You may have been strict but I know it was for my own good. Besides everyone in this house knows you have a softer side."

Minerva chuckled, "Glad I could be there. I figured everyone here are people I trust and care about so I may as well relax. I'm just as tame as my animal side really." she admitted and the two walked into the kitchen to find an upside-down Ron with George pointing his wand at him.

"Wha -"

"Ron insulted the twins accidentally." Ginny cut Harry off. "George put him down. He didn't mean it like that." she added.

"No." George smirked.

"It's fun." Fred added. "And he deserves it."

"Don't make me make you put him down." Ginny warned.

"Ginny just leave it. I'll get myself out of this." Ron snapped, still hanging upside-down.

"I'm trying to help you prat." she snarled back.

"Gin? I'll get it." Harry whispered to her, "The twins aren't going to know what hit them." he took his wand out discreetly and pointed it at the twins and Ron and thought 'Levicorpus'.

As he had planned Fred and George were suddenly upside-down and Ron was still hanging there even though George had stopped his spell.

"Alright. Ron what did you say?" Harry asked his friend.

"I said that those two pretended to look stupid so no one would think they could do anything." he replied shooting a glare at the twins who were wriggling about, trying to get down.

"It's no use struggling you two. No one can escape the spell I used without the counter charm and I know you don't know it." Harry told the twins, "Now why did you feel the need to flip Ron upside down for what he said?" he asked as he returned Ron to the right way up gently.

"Well, we heard him say..." George started.

"Our names and that..." Fred continued.

"We were stupid..."

"And that no-one thought we were good for anything." they finished together.

"Has anyone ever told you that eavesdroppers almost never hear anything nice?" Ginny frowned.

"No." they said.

"So what do you say to Ron?" Arthur asked, looking amused.

"Sorry Ronald." Fred said sulkily.

"Yeah. Sorry. We thought you said we were stupid." George agreed, huffing slightly.

"We should have asked instead of acting first." Fred added.

Harry flipped them the right way round and gently put them on the floor. He did the same to Ron.

"Thanks Harry. They weren't listening to me." Ron smiled.

"You know George I don't think it's wise to pick on Ronny-kins anymore." Fred commented.

"I know. We are officially out numbered." George sighed.

"That's how we work though." Hermione smirked, "If you pick on one of us you have to deal with the other two. And Ginny if she's able to help us."

"She's right." Harry, Ron and Ginny grinned making everyone else chuckle or laugh.

"Have you lot been like that for long?" Regulus asked.

"Of course. Since... Um... When was it Hermione?" Harry asked.

She frowned, "Um... End of 1st for us three... Start of our 5th for Ginny. Neville and Luna joined around the end of 5th I think."

"That long? It feels like it's only been a month or two." Neville chuckled.

"Remember, time flies." Luna told him.

"True." he grinned.

Noticing everyone's confused look's Harry explained, "It's an inside joke."

Teddy had woken up as Harry spoke and he looked around curiously before spotting Andy, "Gramma." he said making her look around from where she was talking with Cissy and Astoria. He held his arms out to her so she excused herself from the conversation and went over to take him from Remus. "Wet." he said when she had him in her arms.

"Well let's change that then. I'll be back in a minute." she said, she left taking Teddy with her.

"He seems reluctant to talk as much today." Dora commented.

"He's always like that around the full moon." Cissy said, "It's a good thing he's slept a little through the day, he won't sleep tonight unless Andy gives him with a mild sleeping potion. He get's fussy and refuses to do anything so we usually let him set his own limits and only interfere if we need to."

"'Fussy' is a understatement." Draco grumbled, "He'd scream if anyone disturbed him from doing what he wanted."

"Not true Draco. He behaves for Harry." George smirked.

"He always behaves for Harry though." Bill pointed out, "Even Andy can't get him to behave, at times, when Harry can."

"Uh oh." Harry said, "He's not going to be happy that I won't be there tonight. Which reminds me, all the Lycan's are going to Hogwarts. Minerva has agreed to allow us to use the Forbidden Forest." he explained. Minerva nodded in confirmation.

Just then an owl swooped in the window carrying a newspaper. It landed in front of Kingsley who took the paper and flew away again.

"It's the article about your return and about the Lycan's." Kingsley explained, "It was supposed to be in the morning Prophet but that never showed up." he frowned.

"Could it be a few of the workers delayed it because they didn't believe it?" James asked.

"It might be that. I'll ask when I go back to the Ministry."

"Dinner!" Molly announced, everyone spent the meal discussing the article and various other topics.

* * *

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	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72 - Third Year (Part 8)

10th, August, 1998. 5.30pm.

"So what's next?" Dora asked Harry after dinner. Everyone had moved back to the living room.

"Well this idiot shows up." Ron nodded to Sirius.

"OI!" he yelled, "I am not an idiot."

"Yes you are." Harry and Hermione said immediately, smirking at the annoyed looking Marauder.

"Sorry but when you see the things you said to us from our point of view..." Harry started.

"It looked like you wanted to kill Harry." Hermione finished. "Remus does it too." she added.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other.

"We never noticed." Remus said finally, "When for me?"

"When you hugged Sirius before explaining." Ron supplied.

Remus winced, "Never thought of that."

"That was obvious." Harry snorted, "Right let's start where we left off."

**Harry's mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.**

"Poor Hagrid." Lily said, the others nodded in agreement.

**"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms.**

**"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him..."**

"It was nice of you but you really couldn't." James smiled.

**Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.**

**"How - could - they?" she choked. "How could they?"**

**"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.**

**They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now.**

**By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.**

**"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still - OUCH! He bit me!"**

**"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute -"**

**"He won't - stay - put -"**

**Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.**

"Why?" Regulus asked, "What's the matter with him?"

**But Harry had just seen - slinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness - Crookshanks.**

"Bad timing." James said.

The Golden Trio were thinking that it was actually really good timing, thinking about what would soon happen.

**Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, Harry couldn't tell.**

**"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"**

**But the cat was getting nearer -**

**"Scabbers - NO!"**

**Too late - the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.**

**"Ron!" Hermione moaned.**

**She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the cloak; they pulled it off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron;**

"You better not forget it." James said worriedly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione forced themselves not to look guilty.

**they could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks.**

**"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come here -"**

**There was a loud thud.**

**"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat -"**

**Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump.**

**"Ron - come on back under the cloak -" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore - the Minister - they'll be coming back out in a minute -"**

**But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws... Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow - an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.**

"Padfoot!" James cheered. Sirius grinned.

**Harry reached for his wand, but too late - the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest;**

"Sorry." Sirius told Harry.

"It's fine. I didn't even get a scratch, just winded is all." Harry told him.

**he keeled over backward in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth -**

**But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. Dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken,**

"They better not be.", James said dangerously, eyeing a terrified Sirius.

"They weren't." Harry smirked, "Just a little bruise that was gone by the next day."

**Harry tried to stand up; he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack.**

**Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm.**

Ron winced again and Sirius apologized again.

**Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll -**

**Then, out of nowhere, something hit Harry so hard across the face he was knocked off his feet again. He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall too.**

**Harry groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes "Lumos!" he whispered.**

**The wandlight showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow**

"Uh oh." Dudley muttered, "That's the tree that hits back, isn't it?" Harry nodded.

**and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer.**

**And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots - Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight -**

**"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again.**

**All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground - but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken,**

Ron winced and grimaced and Sirius said, "Sorry." weakly.

**and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.**

**"Harry - we've got to go for help -" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.**

**"No! That thing's big enough to eat him;"**

Sirius huffed.

"Sirius if your big enough to wrestle a werewolf then your big enough to eat a human. Even though you wouldn't." Dora giggled.

**"we haven't got time -"**

**"Harry - we're never going to get through without help -"**

**Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.**

**"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows.**

**"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "Please..."**

**Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.**

**Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.**

**"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped Harry's arm painfully hard. "How did he know -?"**

**"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on - and keep your wand out -"**

**They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.**

**Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him.**

**"Where's Ron?" she whispered in a terrified voice.**

**"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.**

**"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him.**

**"I don't know... It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it... It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade..."**

**They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes... All Harry could think of was Ron and what the enormous dog might be doing to him**

"Not doing anything." Sirius muttered.

"Except making me stay still." Ron said.

**... He was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch...**

**And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Ahead Harry could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.**

**He and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. Both raised their wands to see what lay beyond.**

**It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room.**

"Defiantly dusty." Remus agreed.

**Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.**

Remus looked pale and Dora put her arm around him. Teddy, who was in her lap, looked up at them and crawled over to Remus and cuddled into him watching the memories curiously.

**Harry glanced at Hermione, who looked very frightened but nodded.**

**Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry's arm again. Her wide eyes were traveling around the boarded windows.**

**"Harry," she whispered, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."**

The four Marauders nodded.

**Harry looked around. His eyes fell on a wooden chair near them. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely.**

**"Ghosts didn't do that," he said slowly.**

"Nope. Not a ghost." James muttered.

**At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Harry's arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go.**

**Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs.**

**They reached the dark landing.**

**"Nox," they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out. Only one door was open. As they crept toward it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod.**

**Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open.**

**On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron.**

**Harry and Hermione dashed across to him.**

**"Ron - are you okay?"**

**"Where's the dog?"**

**"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap -"**

**"What -"**

**"He's the dog... he's an Animagus."**

**Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.**

**A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black.**

"You look bad." James commented sympathetically.

"Azkaban does that to you. It's not good for looks, or health." Sirius frowned.

**"Expelliarmus!" he croaked,**

"Or voice." Sirius added.

**pointing Ron's wand at them.**

**Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.**

**"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely.**

**His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful... it will make everything much easier..."**

**The taunt about his father**

"It wasn't a taunt! It's true." Sirius protested.

"We didn't know anything about your innocence. Everything you said sounded bad before you and Remus explained." Hermione retorted. Sirius huffed but nodded.

**rang in Harry's ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in Harry's chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack... to kill.**

Sirius had turned very pale and was giving Harry looks that ranged from worried to apologetic.

"It takes a lot to get you to that level." Ron told Harry.

Harry nodded, "It does. Considering all I found out that wasn't true though..."

"You thought he killed us." James stated, Harry nodded, "And 12 muggles. So it's understandable. But you never killed him so it's alright." Harry and Sirius nodded.

**Without knowing what he was doing, he started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back... "No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.**

**"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.**

**Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.**

"Respect." Remus said recognising it, "We would have said the same if someone threatened us."

Sirius nodded in confirmation, smiling slightly.

**"Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."**

"First clue to his innocence. A murderer wouldn't care." Andy smiled.

**"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"**

**"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Black, and his grin widened.**

"That does sound bad." Sirius groaned.

**"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron, and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"**

Sirius looked slightly offended and Harry apologized.

**"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"**

**"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward -**

**He had forgotten about magic - he had forgotten that he was short and skinny and thirteen, whereas Black was a tall, full-grown man - all Harry knew was that he wanted to hurt Black as badly as he could**

"Sorry Sirius." Harry apologised. Sirius waved it off.

**and that he didn't care how much he got hurt in return -**

**Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn't raise the wands in time - one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head**

Sirius winced. Harry apologized again.

**and they fell, backward, into the wall -**

**Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find.**

**But Black's free hand had found Harry's throat**

**"No," he hissed, "I've waited too long -"**

**The fingers tightened, Harry choked,**

"Sirius!" Lily protested.

Sirius muttered a weak, "Sorry. I was trying to get him off, I thought it would work. Sorry Harry."

"Meh, I've had worse happen to me." Harry waved off the apology, "And he wouldn't have killed me anyway."

**his glasses askew.**

**Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain;**

Sirius winced again and Hermione apologized.

**Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter -**

**He fought free of the tangle of bodies and saw his own wand rolling across the floor; he threw himself toward it but -**

**"Argh!"**

**Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand -**

**"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned -**

**"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.**

**They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.**

**Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at Black's heart.**

**"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.**

**Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.**

Harry frowned, "Sorry about that."

Sirius muttered something but no one understood him.

**"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.**

**Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.**

**"I don't deny it,"**

"Padfoot!" James yelled. "Don't say that! You didn't kill us."

**he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."**

**"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."**

**"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't... You don't understand..."**

"I would have regretted it." Harry agreed.

**"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me... and you did that... you did it..."**

"I heard worse." Sirius admitted, "Nightmares and memories combined." he winced.

**Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat.**

**"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.**

**But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob.**

**Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand. So what if he had to kill the cat too? It was in league with Black... If it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn't Harry's business... If Black wanted to save it, that only proved he cared more for Crookshanks than for Harry's parents...**

"No." Sirius muttered weakly.

**Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill Black.**

"Harry don't." James said, looking from Harry to the miserable Sirius worriedly.

**He had to kill Black. This was his chance...**

**The seconds lengthened. And still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, Black staring up at him, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent.**

"Thank Merlin you couldn't do it." Sirius smiled, "I was terrified you would though."

"Nah. Harry's not a killer." Neville smirked, "Unless your Voldemort himself."

"True. I never kill if I can avoid it." Harry explained. James and Lily smiled proudly at him.

**And then came a new sound -**

**Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor - someone was moving downstairs.**

**"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE - SIRIUS BLACK - QUICK!"**

**Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively - Do it now! said a voice in his head - but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn't done it.**

"That wasn't your voice in your head." Hermione frowned, she whispered so only Harry, Ron and Ginny could hear her, "Was it..."

"Yes." Harry said, equally quiet, "The connection."

**The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin**

"Good. I won't let Harry kill Sirius." Remus grinned.

"You were there, you already know what happens." Ron snorted.

Remus shook his head, "It was the full moon that night, the memory is slightly fuzzy." he admitted, "I do remember it, but it's like it's not really my memory I have, if that makes sense."

"All your post moon memories and a few after the moon are veiled, you see them but they're like shadows unless you were feeling particularly vicious emotions, like hate or anger, so you remember them but you don't at the same time." James summed up.

"Exactly." he nodded, "Though I do tend to block memories surrounding the moon unless it's important or interesting." he shrugged.

**came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.**

**"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.**

**Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.**

**Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn't done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors.**

**Then Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice.**

**"Where is he, Sirius?"**

**Harry looked quickly at Lupin. He didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? He turned to look at Black again.**

**Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron.**

James looked confused then his eyes widened, "The rat?" he asked the Golden Trio.

They nodded slowly.

**Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.**

**"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless -" Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "- unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"**

**Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.**

**"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on -?"**

**But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.**

"Ah. That does look bad." Remus winced. "Sorry you three."

"It's fine." they replied absently.

**Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.**

**"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.**

**Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You - you -"**

**"Hermione -"**

**"- you and him!"**

**"Hermione, calm down -"**

**"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you -"**

"Thank you for that." Remus grinned.

"Anytime." Hermione smirked.

**"Hermione, listen to me, please" Lupin shouted. "I can explain -"**

**Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury.**

"Oh wonderful, now Harry's mad at Moony too." James muttered, "You two have the worst luck."

"Still not as bad as Harry's luck." they said together, smirking at the teen, who chuckled and nodded in agreement to that fact.

**"I trusted you," he shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"**

**"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now - Let me explain..."**

"Please do. I think we're all a little lost." Regulus said.

**"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too - he's a werewolf!"**

**There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.**

"You do look rather pale. Was it close to the full moon?" Dora asked.

"Not close. It was the full moon." Remus sighed, "Just over an hour away until moonrise."

"I knew it was the full moon, you already said that, I was meaning how close it was. And you answered that anyway." she smiled slightly.

**"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."**

**Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!"**

"Sorry Remus." Ron said as his parents glared at him disapprovingly.

"It's fine. You were shocked and I think you were scared?" Remus asked, Ron nodded, "I was used to that reaction once people knew."

"It's wrong." Kingsley frowned, "The way people treat werewolves because one or two went bad. I'm trying to change the laws on that, so werewolves can get jobs and have almost normal lives. Obviously there will be some laws, for times like the full moon." he admitted.

"It's better than nothing." Minerva assured him.

**Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"**

**"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."**

**"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant... Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"**

**"Both," Hermione said quietly.**

**Lupin forced a laugh.**

**"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."**

"Still are." Remus chuckled. Hermione blushed at the compliment.

**"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"**

**"But they already know," said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."**

**"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf," Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"**

**"Some of the staff thought so," said Lupin. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy -"**

**"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"**

**He was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.**

**"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look -"**

**He separated Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, stunned.**

The others looked a bit surprised as well.

**"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"**

"Bad move." Arthur commented, "These three could have attacked you at anytime."

"It was the only way they would listen." Remus sighed.

"He's right. We were more willing to listen after that." Harry nodded.

**Harry didn't know what to think. Was it a trick?**

**"If you haven't been helping him," he said, with a furious glance at Black, "how did you know he was here?"**

**"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it -"**

**"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.**

"Course he does." James laughed.

**"Of course I know how to work it," said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony - that was my friends' nickname for me at school."**

**"You wrote -?"**

**"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"**

**He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.**

**"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry -"**

"Which you left under the Whomping Willow." James said sadly.

**"How d'you know about the cloak?"**

**"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it..." said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."**

A lot of the room looked confused.

**"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"**

**"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"**

**"No one was with us!" said Harry.**

**"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black... I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow -"**

**"One of us!" Ron said angrily.**

**"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."**

**He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.**

**"Do you think I could have a look at your rat?" he said evenly.**

**"What?" said Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"**

**"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?"**

**Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's leg and made a soft hissing noise.**

**Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers.**

**"What?" Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"**

**"That's not a rat," croaked Sirius Black suddenly.**

**"What d'you mean - of course he's a rat -"**

**"No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."**

**"An Animagus," said Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."**

"Oh my." Minerva gasped, "That's where he was hiding?"

"Yep." Ron nodded.

"We should have checked." Arthur growled.

"Percy how did you find him?" Hermione asked.

Percy frowned, "I was in the garden reading and he climbed onto my knee." he said, "I was only 10 so I never suspected anything. I never did, I just thought he was a normal garden rat."

"That lives for 12 year's?" Bill asked, "I thought he died when you were 14." he admitted, "He would have been 4 and ancient if he was normal, or older considering he was fully grown when you found him."

"I never thought about it too much." Percy shrugged.

"None of us did." Molly frowned.

"I think you should have told us before now." Ginny added to Ron.

"We couldn't. Would you have believed us?" Ron asked.

"No." Ginny sighed in defeat, "Maybe if Harry told me, because I know he wouldn't joke about the man who played a part in his parent's death's."

"We couldn't risk it." Harry sighed. "No one but us, Remus and Dumbledore could know that Sirius was contacting us."

"Otherwise I could have been caught." Sirius put in. "Arthur works for the Ministry. I'm not saying you would Arthur, but if you knew I was near and contacting these three wouldn't you tell someone?"

"I would. If you were near any of my children, Harry and Hermione." he replied, "I would have told someone, before I knew about your innocence that is."

"See. We couldn't risk it." Hermione smiled.

"Now that's covered let's move on." Harry suggested.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73 - Third Year (Part 8.5)

10th, August, 1998.

"Back to where we left off." Harry said.

**It took a few seconds for the absurdity of this statement to sink in. Then Ron voiced what Harry was thinking.**

**"You're both mental."**

They all laughed and Sirius and Remus shook their heads, both looked amused.

**"Ridiculous!" said Hermione faintly.**

**"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" said Harry. "He killed him twelve years ago!" He pointed at Black, whose face twitched convulsively.**

"Nope. I tried though." Sirius sighed.

**"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"**

**And Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell on his broken leg.**

Sirius muttered another apology as Ron winced slightly.

**"Sirius, NO!" Lupin yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Black away from Ron again, "WAIT! You can't do it just like that - they need to understand - we've got to explain -"**

"Good idea, I'd love to know what's going on." Regulus said.

**"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, trying to throw Lupin off. One hand was still clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratching Ron's face and neck as he tried to escape.**

**"They've - got - a - right - to - know - everything!" Lupin panted, still trying to restrain Black. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand, and Harry - you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"**

**Black stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly under Ron's bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.**

"Knew that would stop you." Remus smirked looking smug.

"Stupid, over-clever, wolf." Sirius was muttering.

"How can someone stupid be over-clever?" Lily giggled.

"He just can." came the answer from the still muttering Black.

**"All right, then," Black said, without taking his eyes off the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."**

**"You're nutters, both of you," said Ron shakily, looking round at Harry and Hermione for support. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."**

A few of them looked like they wanted to comment but they wanted to know what happened more.

**He tried to heave himself up on his good leg, but Lupin raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers.**

**"You're going to hear me out, Ron," he said quietly. "Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."**

**"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled, trying to force the rat back into his front pocket, but Scabbers was fighting too hard; Ron swayed and overbalanced, and Harry caught him and pushed him back down to the bed. Then, ignoring Black, Harry turned to Lupin.**

**"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," he said. "A whole street full of them..."**

**"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Black savagely, still watching Scabbers struggling in Ron's hands.**

**"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," said Lupin, nodding. "I believed it myself - until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."**

**Harry looked down at Ron, and as their eyes met, they agreed, silently: Black and Lupin were both out of their minds.**

Sirius huffed and thought silently that if anyone was out of their mind, it would not be Remus.

**Their story made no sense whatsoever. How could Scabbers be Peter Pettigrew? Azkaban must have unhinged Black after all - but why was Lupin playing along with him?**

**Then Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would-be calm sort of voice, as though trying to will Professor Lupin to talk sensibly.**

**"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."**

"Why not?" Petunia asked.

**"Why can't it be true?" Lupin said calmly, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with Grindylows.**

**"Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus."**

"There was at least three Animagi the ministry didn't know about." Minerva said, smiling slightly.

"Speaking of which. You two will have to register." Kingsley told James and Sirius, "There won't be any other charges." he added making them nod in relief. "Maybe a lecture or two for James. Sirius has been lectured already." James groaned but nodded.

**"We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework - the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."**

**Harry had barely had time to marvel inwardly at the effort Hermione put into her homework, when Lupin started to laugh.**

**"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that here used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."**

**"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," said Black, who was still watching Scabbers's every desperate move. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."**

**"All right... but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Lupin, "I only know how it began..."**

**Lupin broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All five of them stared at it. Then Lupin strode toward it and looked out into the landing.**

**"No one there..."**

James looked a bit confused before he realized something, "The cloak! Someone must've picked it up."

**"This place is haunted!" said Ron.**

"No it's not." Dora said sadly.

**"It's not," said Lupin, still looking at the door in a puzzled way. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."**

**He pushed his graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment then said, "That's where all of this starts - with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy..."**

**He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione, said, "Shh!" She was watching Lupin very intently.**

**"I as a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week, preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform... I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again. Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me."**

"Then Albus became Headmaster." Minerva said fondly.

**"But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school..." Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house" - Lupin looked miserably around the room, - "the tunnel that leads to it - they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."**

**Harry couldn't see where this story was going, but he was listening raptly all the same. The only sound apart from Lupin's voice was Scabbers's frightened squeaking.**

**"My transformations in those days were - were terrible."**

Remus had his face hidden in his hands, he looked very pale.

**"It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead."**

A few winced in sympathy.

**"The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it... But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends,"**

Sirius, Dora, James and Lily looked a bit upset at this but didn't say anything, as the others looked sympathetically at Remus, he still had his face hidden and Dora was rubbing soothing circles on his back.

**"three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry - James Potter. Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was."**

"We wouldn't do that." James said.

"Of course we wouldn't." Sirius nodded and Remus finally looked up to give them a small smile although he was still pale.

"For curiosity's sake, how did you two convince him he wasn't a monster and you'd stay his friend?" Dora inquired.

"I believe the direct quote was 'Remus, you fold you're socks, forgive me if I'm not shaking in fear'." James grinned, "Followed by Sirius saying..."

"... 'There's no way in hell we could possibly think you'd be dark, I come from a Dark family and you're one of the nicest people I've met'." Sirius quoted, "And there was something about not believing in something you'd been told about if you hadn't seen for yourself because everyone has different views on things, especially opinions on people or a group of people and stereotypes aren't always right." he smiled.

"I told you that one." Andy nodded at him, "To get you to stop calling Muggleborns scum when you were 4 or 5."

"And that got me to listen to them." Remus concluded, still pale but smiling at his fellow Marauders.

**"But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth... And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."**

**"My dad too?" said Harry, astounded.**

**"Yes, indeed," said Lupin. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong - one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."**

**"But how did that help you?" said Hermione, sounding puzzled.**

**"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals," said Lupin. "A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed… Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."**

**"Hurry up, Remus," snarled Black, who was still watching Scabbers with a horrible sort of hunger on his face.**

"I wanted to rip the rat to shred's." Sirius admitted.

**"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there... well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did..."**

"We were close." the twins said.

"We know more places and passages than all of you." Harry smirked. "Well me Ron, Hermione and Ginny." he added.

"Like?" Remus asked.

"Like a hidden passage from the Astronomy tower to the dungeons." Hermione offered grinning.

"Or one that goes from the third floor to the middle of the forest." Ron added.

"And where the founders living chambers are." Harry finished.

"You have to show us where." George pleaded.

"Maybe..." Ginny said thoughtfully. "But we're not giving you the passwords."

"They took us ages to get." Harry added, "So we might show you if you don't ask about passwords. There's more than that but we're not telling you." he smirked.

"Fair enough. We never put everything we knew on the map. Not many passwords either." James admitted.

**"And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."**

**"What sort of animal -?" Harry began, but Hermione cut him off. "That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"**

**"A thought that still haunts me," said Lupin heavily. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless - carried away with our own cleverness. I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course... he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed..."**

**Lupin's face had hardened, and there was self-disgust in his voice.**

James, Sirius and Lily looked surprised. Everyone else looked confused. Remus had his eyes closed and ignored the looks he was getting.

**"All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus."**

They all let out various sounds of realization.

**"But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly."**

"You're not a coward." not a Marauder, but Harry said. He still felt a bit guilty for calling Remus a coward during the Trio's time in hiding. Remus gave him a surprised look but smiled after a moment.

**"It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it... so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."**

**"Snape?" said Black harshly, taking his eyes off Scabbers; for the first time in minutes and looking up at Lupin. "What's Snape got to do with it?"**

**"He's here, Sirius," said Lupin heavily. "He's teaching here as well." He looked up at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons... you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me -"**

**Black made a derisive noise.**

**"It served him right," he sneered.**

"I don't think so." Sirius said, before realizing he was scolding himself and feeling a bit strange.

"You just told yourself off, mate." James said, grinning slightly.

"I know, it's weird..." Sirius said, an expression on his face that mingled stunned and confused.

**"Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to... hoping he could get us expelled... Severus was very interested in where I went every month." Lupin told Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "We were in the same year, you know, and we - er - didn't like each other very much."**

"That was an understatement." Remus said, smiling slightly.

**"He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field..."**

"That wasn't it and you know it Moony." James frowned shooting a look at Lily.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell Harry. The thought would haunt him." Remus replied.

"Snape told me on his own." Harry said, "Not directly." he added, noticing the shocked look's, "When he died he left me some memories, they explained a lot."

**"anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was..."**

**"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"**

**"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin.**

**Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak,**

"Of all the people to find the cloak, why Snape?" Sirius moaned, "Why not someone decent."

"Just my bad luck again." Harry said cheerfully, causing them to laugh.

**his wand pointing directly at Lupin.**

"Ironic he only point's it at you." Sirius frowned.

"You know why." Remus sighed.

"True."

"Next memory!" Harry said cheerfully.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74 - Third Year (Part 8.5)

10th, August, 1998. 6.30pm.

"Let the action commence!" Harry announced. "Remus, Dora, I'll tell you if I think it might scare Teddy." he added smiling.

**Hermione screamed. Black leapt to his feet. Harry felt as though he'd received a huge electric shock.**

**"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," said Snape, throwing the cloak aside, careful to keep this wand pointing directly at Lupin's chest.**

Sirius looked even more outraged at this than anything, "I'm supposed to be the insane murderer, and Snape keeps his wand on you?"

"You know why. It was full moon." Remus said, "He was afraid."

**"Very useful, Potter, I thank you..."**

**Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did... lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map."**

"I'm an idiot." Remus groaned quietly.

**"One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."**

**"Severus -" Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.**

**"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout -"**

**"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything - I can explain - Sirius is not here to kill Harry -"**

**"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this... He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a tame werewolf -"**

"More tame than some." Molly smiled.

**"You fool," said Lupin softly. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"**

**BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles;**

The entire room shouted their protest, Sirius and James loudest of all.

**he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.**

**"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."**

**Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.**

**Harry stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what to do or whom to believe.**

"Believe me, Harry!" Sirius shouted, "That git just tied up your best DADA teacher, don't trust him."

Harry and Remus both smiled slightly.

**He glanced around at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked just as confused as he did, still fighting to keep hold on the struggling Scabbers. Hermione, however, took an uncertain step toward Snape and said, in a very breathless voice, "Professor Snape - it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"**

**"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat. "You, Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf."**

"They've been in the company of 'a werewolf' all year." Remus muttered dangerously.

Sirius and James were sending him worried glances, knowing that when he talked like that he was really mad.

**"For once in your life, hold your tongue."**

**"But if - if there was a mistake -"**

**"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!"**

Hermione looked surprised, haven forgotten Snape had said that. Lily looked equally surprised at how Snape was acting.

"Smarter than you, no doubt." James muttered making Hermione grin widely.

**Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Black's face. Hermione fell silent.**

**"Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathed at Black. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..."**

**"The joke's on you again, Severus," Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle" - he jerked his head at Ron - "I'll come quietly..."**

**"Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay... I -"**

**What little color there was in Black's face left it.**

**"You - you've got to hear me out," he croaked. "The rat - look at the rat -"**

**But there was a mad glint in Snape's eyes that Harry had never seen before. He seemed beyond reason.**

"Well noticed." Lily commented, "Your right, he doesn't listen when he's like that."

**"Come on, all of you," he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to his hands. "I'll drag the werewolf."**

Remus had shut his eyes and seemed to be attempting to calm himself down.

The rest of the room was glaring at the memory.

**"Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him too -"**

"He hasn't done anything!" Lily shouted.

**Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.**

**"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already," snarled Snape. "If I hadn't been here to save your skin -"**

**"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry said. "I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"**

**"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," hissed Snape. "Get out of the way, Potter."**

**"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry yelled. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN -"**

**"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee!"**

"He wasn't in danger!" Dora protested.

"If he was then Albus would have known." Minerva nodded, "He had a spell on Harry that let him know when Harry was in danger of dying."

"Which I suspected after my 5th year." Harry grumbled, "I can't believe he never told me."

**"You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black - now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"**

**Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand.**

**"Expelliarmus!" he yelled - except that his wasn't the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.**

"He deserved it." Fred and George grinned.

**Harry looked around. Both Ron and Hermione had tried to disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed next to Crookshanks.**

**"You shouldn't have done that," said Black, looking at Harry. "You should have left him to me..."**

"Because you were doing such a great job." Harry muttered. "You never had a wand, he did. So did we and you expect us not to do anything?" he snorted.

"Well... When you put it like that... You have a good point." Sirius admitted, "You still shouldn't have done it though."

"Oh well." Hermione smirked, "He deserves it after everything he does in all our years at school."

**Harry avoided Black's eyes. He wasn't sure, even now, that he'd done the right thing.**

**"We attacked a teacher... We attacked a teacher..." Hermione whimpered, staring at the lifeless Snape with frightened eyes. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble -"**

**Lupin was struggling against his bonds.**

"Let him go already, Sirius!" James shouted.

**Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.**

**"Thank you, Harry," he said.**

**"I'm still not saying I believe you," he told Lupin.**

**"Then it's time we offered you some proof," said Lupin. "You, boy - give me Peter, please. Now."**

"Could've been a bit nicer about it." Ron said.

"He said 'Please'." Sirius said, trying not to laugh.

"Sorry Ron. I was trying to prove the truth. We weren't sure how patient you lot would be and I didn't want Harry to attack Sirius again." Remus chuckled, "Or attack me."

**Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.**

**"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean..." He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat - there are millions of rats - how's he supposed to know which one he is after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"**

**"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin, turning to Black and frowning slightly.**

**"How did you find out where he was?"**

**Black put one of his claw-like hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.**

**It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.**

**"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.**

**"Fudge," said Black. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy's shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was..."**

"Oh! It was reported you kept muttering 'He's at Hogwarts, He's at Hogwarts.' in your sleep. We all though you were after Harry." Arthur said.

"Nope. Not Harry, Pettigrew." Sirius growled the second name.

**"My God," said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw..."**

**"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.**

**"He's got a toe missing," said Black.**

**"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"**

**"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself - and sped down into the sewer with the other rats..."**

James and Lily looked outraged. Sirius looked ready to kill and Remus was holding onto Dora who looked like she wanted to hex someone.

**"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" said Lupin. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."**

**"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right -"**

**"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"**

**"We - we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.**

**"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Lupin. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again..."**

**"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.**

**But that wasn't right, Harry thought suddenly... Scabbers had been looking ill before he met Crookshanks... ever since Ron's return from Egypt... since the time when Black had escaped...**

**"This cat isn't mad," said Black hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head.**

James pretended to looked shocked, "I never would've thought that Sirius would be fond of any cat."

Sirius frowned. "Crookshanks is a special case. He's a very nice cat."

"Unless you annoy him." Hermione smiled.

"Unless you annoy him." Sirius agreed.

**"He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me... Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me..."**

"How?" Regulus asked.

**"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.**

**"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't... so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me... As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table..."**

"Yes. Neville's." Draco grinned, figuring it out.

"That's what you meant by I didn't deserve getting punished?" Neville asked.

The Golden Trio nodded.

"It was Crookshanks. You never lost your list, Hermione's cat stole it." Astoria giggled.

"Because a supposed mass-murderer asked him to." Luna smiled.

"If someone who didn't know what we were talking about heard this conversation they'd either think we'd drank too much Firewhiskey or that we'd gone mad." Harry mused.

"'Hermione's cat stole a weeks worth of passwords because a mass-murderer asked him to', sounds pretty crazy even when we know what we're talking about." James pointed out chuckling.

**Harry's brain seemed to be sagging under the weight of what he was hearing. It was absurd... and yet...**

**"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it." croaked Black. "This cat - Crookshanks, did you call him? - told me Peter had left blood on the sheets... I supposed he bit himself... Well, faking his own death had worked once."**

**These words jolted Harry to his senses.**

**"And why did he fake his death?" he said furiously. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"**

**"No," said Lupin, "Harry -"**

**"And now you've come to finish him off!"**

Sirius nodded and James watched him even more closely.

**"Yes, I have," said Black, with an evil look at Scabbers.**

**"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted.**

**"Harry," said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down - but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father - Sirius tracked Peter down -"**

**"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"**

**He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly over bright.**

**"Harry... I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret Keeper instead of me... I'm to blame, I know it... The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must've done... what I'd done..."**

"Paddy you know we don't blame you right?" James asked.

"Yeah Sirius, none of us knew it was the rat that was the spy." Lily smiled.

"We should have seen it though. After Dumbledore's mysterious letter." Sirius sighed.

"Let me guess, it said 'You have a rat in your ranks.'?" Regulus asked.

"How did you know?"

"It was me who sent it. I couldn't tell you streight out via Owl or Floo." he explained, "We were all under spells so we couldn't betray each other. So I thought I'd try to give you a hint."

"Didn't work too well did it?" James scoffed, "We should have realised."

**His voice broke. He turned away.**

**"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."**

**"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked Lupin tensely.**

**"Force him to show himself," said Lupin. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."**

**Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Lupin took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head. "Ready, Sirius?" said Lupin.**

**Black had already retrieved Snape's wand from the bed. He approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.**

**"Together?" he said quietly.**

**"I think so", said Lupin, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. "On the count of three. One - two - THREE!"**

**A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly - Ron yelled - the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then -**

**It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks was spitting and snarling on the bed; the hair on his back was standing up.**

**He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. Harry saw his eyes dart to the door and back again.**

**"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."**

They couldn't help but laugh at this.

**"S - Sirius... R - Remus..." Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. "My friends... my old friends..."**

"Old friends." Sirius said. "That's as good as a confession that he framed me."

**Black's wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning took, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.**

**"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed -"**

**"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and Harry could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus..."**

**"So we've heard," said Lupin, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'll be so -"**

**"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and Harry saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too... You've got to help me, Remus..."**

**Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.**

**"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Lupin.**

**"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"**

**"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Lupin, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"**

**"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"**

**Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.**

**"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he said.**

"That made me more inclined to trust you." Harry told Sirius, "I knew not a lot of people could say it without flinching."

**Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him.**

**"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Black. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"**

**"Don't know what you mean, Sirius -" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.**

**"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Black. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter... They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them... I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information... and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"**

"Out of curiosity what did they do?" Remus asked Cissy.

"No one touched him. Except Bella, she crucio'ed him a few times. And Snape hexed him once or twice." she replied.

"Rodolphus and Rabastan locked him in the cellar." Draco supplied cheerfully.

"Why?" Regulus asked suspiciously.

"Because I asked them to." he grinned, "Pettigrew was annoying so I asked them to lock him in the cellar for a bit. It was funny watching him try to squeeze out the gap under the door as a rat."

"You know... I think they two would only do that if you asked. If they said no and you told Bella..." Cissy trailed off but the un-said 'She'd torture them' was clearly heard.

**"Don't know... what you're talking about..." said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"**

**"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Lupin evenly.**

**"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban - the spy, Sirius Black!"**

**Black's face contorted.**

**"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter - I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..."**

**Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.**

**"Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a -"**

**"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you"**

James nodded his head in agreement.

**"... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."**

**Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he couldn't help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door.**

**"Professor Lupin?" said Hermione timidly. "Can - can I say something?"**

**"Certainly, Hermione," said Lupin courteously.**

**"Well - Scabbers - I mean, this - this man - he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"**

"Because there wasn't anything in it for him." Remus muttered.

**"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"**

**"I'll tell you why," said Black. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him..."**

**Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.**

"Lost the ability to think of a comeback's more like it." James said.

"He never had the ability." Sirius snarled.

**"Er - Mr. Black - Sirius?" said Hermione.**

**Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anything quite like her.**

"It had been years since I had been addressed by anything except 'Murderer' or 'Traitor' and that was only when the human guards were brave enough to check on me." Sirius explained bitterly.

**"If you don't mind me asking, how - how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"**

**"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I -"**

**But Lupin silenced him with a look. Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.**

**"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me... but it kept me sane and knowing who I am... helped me keep my powers... so when it all became... too much... I could transform in my cell... become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know..." He swallowed. "They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions... They could tell that my feelings were less - less human, less complex when I was a dog... but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand... But then I saw Peter in that picture... I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry... perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again..."**

**Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Black as though hypnotized.**

**"... ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies... and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors... So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive..."**

**Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley. "The guards say he's been talking in his sleep... always the same words... 'He's at Hogwarts.'"**

**"It was as if someone had lit a fire In my head,"**

"Er - okay." James said, trying not to smile as Sirius threw a 'Shut up now!' kind of look at him.

**"and the Dementors couldn't destroy it... It wasn't a happy feeling... it was an obsession... but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog... It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused... I was thin, very thin... thin enough to slip through the bars... I swam as a dog back to the mainland."**

"You swam?" James asked, it was a long way from Azkaban to the shore.

"Yes and it was freezing." Sirius shivered. "Kingsley, out of interest, how far apart were the bars on the cells?"

"Um... About 10cm I think, why?"

"I was able to get through about 40cm and there was plenty of room to spare. I must have been thinner than I thought."

**"... I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry..."**

**He looked at Harry, who did not look away.**

**"Believe me," croaked Black. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."**

"Harry please." Sirius pleaded teasingly. He knew Harry did so he decided to have some fun while he could. Harry was biting his lip to keep from smiling.

**And at long last, Harry believed him.**

Sirius cheered and managed to get James to do the same.

**Throat too tight to speak, he nodded.**

**"No!"**

**Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.**

**"Sirius - it's me... it's Peter... your friend... you wouldn't -"**

**Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.**

**"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Black.**

Everyone laughed.

"Good one." Bill chuckled.

"Thank you." Sirius smirked..

**"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this - wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"**

**"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.**

**"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.**

**"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"**

**"Of course," said Black, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"**

**"Yes, I think so," said Lupin grimly.**

**"You wouldn't... you won't..." gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Ron.**

**"Ron... haven't I been a good friend... a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you... you're on my side, aren't you?"**

**But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion.**

**"I let you sleep in my bed!" he said.**

**"Kind boy... kind master…" Pettigrew crawled toward Ron "You won't let them do it... I was your rat... I was a good pet..."**

**"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Black harshly.**

They all laughed again.

**Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of Hermione's robes.**

**"Sweet girl... clever girl... you - you won't let them... Help me..."**

**Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew's clutching hands and backed away against the wall, looking horrified.**

**Pettigrew knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry.**

**"Harry... Harry... you look just like your father... just like him..."**

**"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Black. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"**

**"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed... James would have understood,"**

"I don't understand why he did but..." James trailed off.

"But?" Sirius prodded.

"Nothing, tell you later." he muttered.

**"Harry... he would have shown me mercy..."**

"I would've shown him mercy." James agreed.

**Both Black and Lupin strode forward, seized Pettigrew's shoulders, and threw him backward onto the floor. He sat there, twitching with terror, staring up at them.**

**"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Black, who was shaking too. "Do you deny it?"**

**Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.**

**"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord..."**

"Hmm... Only Death Eater's call Voldemort that." Hermione pointed out.

"Hey Moony... We should have just pulled his left sleeve up so they could see the Dark Mark." Sirius frowned.

"I didn't know about it but these two did." Harry pointed at Ron and Hermione.

"It wouldn't have worked." Cissy said, "The Mark faded when he disappeared. For some reason now that he's dead it's still there." Draco nodded in confirmation.

"I had thought mine would've disappeared but it hasn't." Regulus shrugged, "I was dead when he died but wouldn't it have still faded?"

"Depends, I know the marks faded but they were still there in a way, it was like the outline stayed and you could see it if you looked at it a certain way..." Cissy mused.

"Death Eaters wore, or wear, long sleeves for a reason." Draco nodded, "I think what happened was the power drained from them because Voldemort was too weak. Since he's the one that put's them on, I think so anyway I don't know for sure, and they were keyed to summon him they didn't fade because he just died, he's never going to return so the mark stayed." he shrugged.

"Still doesn't answer how mine stayed if I was dead." Regulus pointed out.

"Ask Death next time we summon him." Harry suggested, as they all turned back to the memory.

**"you have no idea... he has weapons you can't imagine... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me -"**

**"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"**

**"He - he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "Wh - what was there to be gained by refusing him?"**

"Innocent lives?" Petunia suggested. Sirius looked shocked but ignored the curious looks and waved at the memory.

**"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"**

Everyone laughed as they realised why Sirius was shocked.

**"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"**

**"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"**

**Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.**

**"You should have realized," said Lupin quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."**

**Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned to the wall.**

**"NO!" Harry yelled.**

Regulus said, "Let them kill him Harry!"

Harry forced himself not to laugh, "If Pettigrew lives, Sirius goes free."

"Even if that doesn't happen." James smiled, "We know Sirius was in hiding until he died." he explained, "And he and Remus didn't know Pettigrew was dead either."

**He ran forward, placing himself in front Pettigrew, facing the wands. "You can't kill him," he said breathlessly. "You can't."**

**Black and Lupin both looked staggered.**

**"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Black snarled. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."**

**"I know," Harry panted. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors... He can go to Azkaban... but don't kill him."**

**"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You - thank you - it's more than I deserve"**

"Got that right." Sirius said.

Harry muttered something that sounded like, "Should've let you kill him." but no-one asked.

**"- thank you -"**

**"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because - I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers - just for you."**

"True." James said grinning.

**No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. Black and Lupin were looking at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.**

**"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," said Black. "But think... think what he did..."**

**"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does..."**

**Pettigrew was still wheezing behind him.**

**"Very well," said Lupin. "Stand aside, Harry."**

**Harry hesitated.**

**"I'm going to tie him up," said Lupin. "That's all, I swear."**

**Harry stepped out of the way. Thin cords shot from Lupin's wand this time, and next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.**

**"But if you transform, Peter," growled Black, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"**

**Harry looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see him.**

**"Right," said Lupin, suddenly businesslike. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."**

**He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron's leg with his wand, and muttered, "Ferula." Bandages spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Lupin helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn't wince.**

**"That's better," he said. "Thanks."**

**"What about Professor Snape?" said Hermione in a small voice, looking down at Snape's prone figure.**

"Let's leave him!" Sirius said, grinning.

**"There's nothing seriously wrong with him," said Lupin, bending over Snape and checking his pulse. "You were just a little - overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er - perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safety back in the castle."**

"Good idea." Lily smiled.

**"We can take him like this..."**

**He muttered, "Mobilicorpus." As though invisible strings were tied to Snape's wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling. Lupin picked up the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it safely into his pocket.**

**"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."**

**"I'll do it," said Lupin.**

**"And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.**

**Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.**

"So, I'll give you a choice. Watch one more memory tonight or finish in the morning and we can go explore Hogwart's untill moonrise." Harry said. "It's 7.00pm, so we'd be stopping in an hour anyway." he added. "That's not enough time to finish the year off and the last few should be watched together."

An eagle Patronus appeared in front of Minerva.

"Minerva, I've just seen the Prophet. Is it true? Have Nymphadora and Remus Lupin, Lily and James Potter, Sirius and Regulus Black and Fred Weasley really returned? Are Harry and Ginny really Lycans now, a new Hybrid? Please let me know if you know anything." it squeaked in Filius Flitwick's excited voice before fading into nothing.

Minerva chuckled, "I had wondered when he'd ask. He know's I'm here just not why." she explained.

"He sounded excited and happy." Luna smiled, "He must believe it, or at least think it could be possible."

"Well he's not head of Ravenclaw for nothing." Lily grinned.

"I'm surprised he mentioned me though." Regulus commented.

"You were one of the best in your charms class." Sirius pointed out.

"Fillius admitted he was quite upset when we heard about your death. So was Slughorn. They both said you were one of their favourite student's to teach since you always paid attention." Minerva smiled. Regulus grinned.

"So what does everyone want to do?" Harry asked, "Memory or Hogwarts."

Everybody said, "Hogwarts!"

"You're all welcome to stay the night." Minerva offered, "The castle's empty apart from a few members of staff." she added.

Everyone accepted and quickly gathered overnight bag's and Floo'd to Hogwarts, Headmisstresses office. Minerva left first to warn the portraits. Harry took Dudley and Cecelia, Ginny took Amber and Lily took Petunia as they hadn't used the Floo before.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75 - The Greetings.

10th, August, 1998.

Upon everyone's arrival at Hogwarts, Minerva was sitting at her desk waiting.

"Is that everyone?" she asked when Ginny came through with Amber, the other witch not having much experience with Floo before.

"Yes that's it." Ginny nodded after doing a quick head count.

"Ah! Hello everyone." the portrait of Albus Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Welcome back to the returnees."

"Hello Professor." James grinned. "Long time, no see."

"Indeed. I have missed you all terribly." Dumbledore said, "Even you Mr Black." he said looking at Regulus who flushed. "Though I am curious to who this young woman with you is." he admitted looking at Amber.

"Oh sorry. This is Amber Dursley, she's Dudley's wife, and this is their daughter Cecelia." Harry introduced them.

"Harry remember I told you? We got married under Amber's name." Dudley said. "It's Dudley Moon now." he told Dumbledore.

"I thought the 'Moon' line had died out." said a voice from across the room.

"Hello Unce Sev." Draco smirked.

Severus Snape was casually leaning against the frame of his portrait, "Good evening." he greeted. "Now what was this about the 'Moon' family not being completely dead?"

Remus explained about Amber and hesitantly about his birth parent's.

"Well... You learn something new everyday." said Phineas Nigellus Black from across the room. "I must admit it is nice to see my two Great-Great-Grandson's alive and well again." Sirius and Regulus nodded politely to him.

"Well I'd imagine you are all learning something." Dumbelore smiled, "Showing them your memories Harry?"

"How did... wait, never mind. You knew they had returned and you know I have borrowed the Pensive." Harry smiled.

"What happened to you Potter? You look different. So do a few of you come to think about it." Snape said looking at them all suspiciously.

"I told you about them being Lycan's, Severus." Minerva sighed.

"It was part of the change." Harry explained, "After being a wolf for the first time there was a few changes. Can you spot the obvious ones?" he grinned.

"I'm not 5 years old Potter." he snapped back.

"Be nice Severus." Regulus told him, "What's he ever done to you? We've all seen the memories and you acted horribly to Harry and the rest of Gryffindor. Why?"

"We understand the being horrible to Gryfindor's bit but you were especially horrible to Harry and Neville." Dora added shifting Teddy's weight to her other hip.

"Why should I answer you?" he challenged. Before anyone could answer he left his portrait.

Minerva frowned, "He's been doing that alot lately." she said.

"It will be because the Marauders are back. And especially Lily." James sighed. Harry looked at him shocked. "Oh I knew he loved her."

"I knew it too." Lily nodded, "That's why I never forgave him. I knew we couldn't just be friends if he loved me and I didn't feel the same."

"Oh good. It won't come as a shock when I find out in the memories then." Harry chuckled.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Minerva called.

"It's Pomona Sprout and Fillius Flitwick." came the reply from a feminine voice, obviously Sprout.

Minerva went to the door and stepped out to explain. The three walked in after a moment.

Flitwick and Sprout were greeted with many 'It's nice to see you's.' and 'We missed you so much, welcome back.' messages exchanged.

"I must admit, it was a shock when we saw the papers this evening." Flitwick admitted.

"It would shock anyone." Kingsley agreed, "I wasn't told immediately so you can imagine my shock when Harry told me what happened."

"It was even more of a shock for us." Petunia said quietly, when Sprout asked who she was, she quickly introduced herself, Dudley, Amber and Cecelia.

"If you aren't magical how can you see the castle?" inquired a portrait of a powerful looking witch. "I know for a fact you and Mr Moon are muggles." she explained.

"Latent magic." Ginny told her, "They were Werewolves and the attack brought Dudley and Petunia's magic out. Amber has always been a witch, she was home-schooled."

"Ah! Excellent!" Dumbledore clapped his hands, "Not that you were bitten of course. I imagine your here to transform?" he asked.

"They are. Me and Ginny changed a few people already." Harry explained. "Want to see?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded looking interested so Harry changed into Shadow.

"As you can see Professor, there is a few differences between Lycan's and werewolves." Ginny smiled while scratching Shadow's ear.

"Indeed." Dumbledore looked shocked.

"Shadow, I think you broke him." Ron chuckled. "No one has ever seen Professor Dumbledore this shocked before."

"Where did that beast come from?" Snape had returned to his portrait.

"That 'Beast' is my son." Lily frowned, "I'd thank you to be nicer to him."

"Sorry." he muttered, "I didn't know he could do that did I? I suppose it's part of being a 'Lycan'?"

Shadow nodded with a soft 'whuff'. The wolf walked over and sat next to Lily, staring up at the portrait.

Snape ignored him and looked at Minerva, "I returned to tell you the elf-lets have run away from their mother and are currently messing up a classroom in the dungeon's."

"Winky's three?" Hermione asked. Snape nodded. "Dose she know?"

"She does not."

"Winky!" Minerva called, the house-elf appeared with a 'CRACK', "Your children have escaped again. They're in a classroom in the dungeons according to Severus."

"Oh no. Winky is sorry miss. Winky will fetch them." WInky disappeared again with a loud 'CRACK'.

"Those elf-lets are always escaping." Dumbledore chuckled.

"It's only the second time this week." Flitwick pointed out, "They'll get better at doing what they're told."

"They are still young." Sprout agreed.

"I don't know... Look at James and Sirius. They didn't listen when they were younger and they still don't listen without being hexed." Lily commented.

"We do listen!" the two protested.

"Only when you want to." Remus muttered making most people laugh and those who didn't laugh, lips twitched slightly. Shadow, unable to do either, let out a small howl in amusement.

"No. We listen most of the time." Sirius pouted.

"And we don't always need to be hexed." James huffed.

"Give us an example of one time you listened." Minerva challenged, "Without bending or stretching the rules and without being hexed." she added.

Sirius and James looked at each other.

"There was the time... No that was stretching rules..."

"There was the time when I was told to stay put in the 'Horrible House of Hell'." Sirius said. He looked at Dumbledore with resentment. "I managed that for a while..."

"Sirius I am sorry about that." Dumbledore sighed, "I thought it was for your own safety."

"Safety?! Safety my a***! You knew I hated being locked up like a prisoner. Especially in that bloody house!" he shouted. Shadow walked over to him and changed back into Harry.

"He's right Professor. I did tell you on the night of his death that people don't like being in the dark or locked away. You did it to me that summer and all of that year and I hated it."

Dumbledore hung his head in shame, "I know you did. Both of you. I made a mistake and there was nothing I could do to change that. I am sorry."

"Sorry didn't bring me back to life." Sirius sighed, "I think it might take a while for me to totally forgive you Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore nodded, "I understand. But please, everyone, I believe you are all old enough to call me by my first name. Even those who are returning to school in September." he smiled.

"You told him then?" Draco asked Minerva.

She nodded, "As well as about you and Astoria and Bill and Fleur's news. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Bill smiled.

"Congratulations by the way." Albus beamed. "It's always nice to know when my old student's start their own families."

"Thank you Prof - Albus." Astoria blushed, correcting herself after a moment.

"Minerva, here's the reports you wanted, we must be off." Flitwick smiled, he and Sprout said their goodbyes and left.

"Do you know about what me and Ginny plan to do?" Harry asked Albus.

The old wizard looked confused.

"He doesnt. I never told him because I wasn't exactly sure what happened." Minerva explained.

Ginny quickly explained to Albus about the twins and about how she and Harry were going to adopt them.

"Tom had kids?" he asked looking shocked after she had explained, Cissy explained about Voldemort's habit of raping women. "That's horrible." he winced, "I had no idea he was doing that. Did you Severus?"

"Not at all." Snape frowned, "How did you know Narcissa?"

"Draco told me." she replied.

"Draco?"

"I was told by my Father." Draco said. "And a few of the higher up Death Eaters when a girl a year or two younger than me from Durmstrang disappeared." he explained.

"And that was around the time I discovered that potion Lucius had used on you." Cissy commented.

"What potion?" Snape asked.

"Loyalty. It was mixed with a weak love potion." Draco admitted. "Keyed to Pansy Parkinson." he shuddered.

"If I were alive I'd kill your father." Snape scowled. "That could have been dangerous. It would have killed you eventually. Those two potions should never mix because they can poison the body and kill the nerves before killing the person."

"Which is exactly why I dealt with it myself. You remember the month Lucius couldn't attend meeting's because he was 'sick'?" Cissy asked, Snape nodded hesitantly. "No one knew it was because he couldn't walk through a potion that made one's muscles cease up for a certain length of time."

"Ah. Good way to get revenge." Snape nodded.

"No permanent damage done but still painful for the victim." Cissy smirked.

"So that's what happened!" Draco exclaimed.

"Apparently." Astoria shrugged.

"How come you weren't caught giving him the potion?" Harry asked.

"Oh that's an easy one. The house-elves done it for me. I got them to slip the potion into his evening drink. He was ill by the next morning." Cissy explained. "Serves him right for using a potion on my son."

"He wasn't as bad as our father though. Right?" Sirius asked pointing at Regulus then himself.

"That I can't answer, because I don't know. But I don't think so. Draco? Come here a minute." Draco went to his mother's side slowly.

"Yes Mother?"

Cissy whispered something to him. When she stopped whispering Draco frowned in concentration before a horrified look crossed his face.

He nodded quickly, "Yes he did, only once and not as bad as those two had it, especially not as bad as Sirius." he said, confusing many in the room as Andy, Regulus and Sirius looked ready to kill.

"Kingsley. I think we have some more to add to Lucius's file." Cissy growled. "But later."

"Of course." he agreed, he still looked confused.

"I'll explain later." Draco sighed, "It's almost moonrise by the way." he added looking at his watch that read 7.45.

"Right. We should go warn Hagrid we will be in the forest." Harry said.

"He's in the Hospital Wing." Minerva said looking at a note on her desk, "He got a few deep scratches from an animal he was trying to help. He told Poppy it was a Bowtruckle according to this note."

"Ouch. That's got to hurt." James winced.

"He know's about your return as well." she added gesturing the note, "Poppy mentioned he asked."

"Odd. Hagrid doesn't usually get hurt off the creatures he handles." Hermione frowned.

"He was either ambushed by Bowtruckles or he's hiding something." Harry chuckled, "It could have been Grawp and Hagrid just doesn't want to get him in trouble."

"True." Ron agreed.

"Who's Grawp?" Lily asked curiously.

"Hagrid's little brother, well, half-brother." Hermione explained.

"There's nothing little about him though. Grawp's 16 foot tall." Ron chuckled.

Sirius, Regulus, James and Lily gasped.

"He's a full-blooded giant?" Sirius asked.

"There's nothing wrong with Grawp." Remus told him, "But yes, he is a full giant."

"He's a bit of a runt though. You can't tell unless he's next to another giant but he really is small for a giant." Harry added. "And he speaks a bit of english now."

"Hagrid taught him." Hermione nodded. "We helped a little."

"So there's an actual giant here?" Regulus asked.

"Hagrid's set up a home on the edge of the forest for him." Minerva said nodding, "I allowed it as long as Grawp isn't left alone at any time."

"What about when Hagrid's in the castle? Or teaching?" Lily asked.

Minerva shrugged, "Grawp's in the forest most of the day hunting, until after dinner time. When he's not he's helping Hagrid with the ground's."

"Which is an improvement over pulling the trees in the forest down. Or digging holes." Albus chuckled.

"The only thing about Grawp is that he doesn't know his own strength. Like Hagrid." Draco smiled, "Hagrid can forget his own strength, so can Grawp."

"Problem is if Hagrid does it you get a bruise or maybe a cracked rib but if it's Grawp..."

"It's worse." Ginny finished for Harry. He nodded in thanks.

"You have to be firm with him. We'll probably meet him tomorrow." Harry said, he noticed Petunia and Dudley looked pale, "What's wrong?"

"Giant's are real?" Dudley asked hesitantly.

"Most Muggle fairytale creatures are real." Lily smiled, "Remember the diagram I had on my wall when I was 14 Tuney? It was..."

"How to recognise a V-vampire I think." she replied. "I know you had one of how to recognise something, I forgot what."

"Your right. It was how to recognise a Vampire." Lily grinned, "I was doing a project for DADA over Christmas of our fourth year." she explained to James who had looked curious. "Tuney don't you remember half the stuff that I had in my room?"

Petunia frowned, "Not really, I was hardly ever in your room after you started coming here. It was only when Mum told me to come get you." she sighed.

"Aunt Petunia? You would have seen a few thing's in my room if you had been in there to look at book's." Harry pointed out. "When you were looking up Werewolves." he added for the other's benefit.

"Only things like vampires and fairies." she admitted. "Not giant's."

"Giant's would have been in a different book." Remus said, "Or near the back of the book depending on which one it was."

"It was Dark Creatures Revealed." Dudley told them.

"That's an advanced book, giant's would have been in the back." Hermione nodded.

"Giant's are hardly even in the book's on dark creatures, they come under dangerous but not dark because they can't use magic themselves." Lily added.

"There's a few that are just on giant's though." Luna smiled, "Newt Scamander wrote one I think."

"He did. It was quite interesting." Remus grinned, "That man is never prejudice if he can help it. He done one just on werewolves and he seemed friendly enough."

"Good. The world needs more people like that." Dora chuckled. "Less git's and more 'You may be classed as dark, but I like you anyway' people." this comment made everyone laugh or smile.

"Too true. I tried to have a few laws and stereotypes removed." Albus explained, "I managed a few of the werewolf stereotypes for a few people but not much else."

"I'm just glad you got the Order to see sense." Remus grimaced, "If they hadn't I probably would have been killed or seriously injured."

"Most of the Order was at school with us though." Sirius pointed out, "They knew you weren't dangerous except on full moon's."

Dora nodded, "Not even then with Wolfsbane." she shifted Teddy again as he woke up and started squirming.

"Uh oh." Harry said noticing this. "He's gonna scream." As soon as he said this, Teddy done exactly that.

Andy went straight to Teddy and took him off Dora, who immediately covered her ears like most of the room and portraits already had, the Lycan's were almost crippled with the noise due to their excellent hearing.

"Harry! Little help please!" Andy shouted over the screaming boy in her arms. Harry went over when James nudged him, having not heard Andy, and touched Teddy's head gently. Amazingly the boy went quiet immediately and reached for Harry who took him.

"What was that all about?" Remus asked, rubbing his ears.

"He always does it on full moon night's." Draco said, wincing. "Usually Harry is the only one who can get him to calm down if he's just woken up, though sometimes he just screams more if Harry's near him and Aunt Andy has to calm him down then."

"We don't actually know why." Harry commented letting Teddy suck on his hand. "He just goes quiet when I touch his head." he shrugged then chuckled slightly, "I swear this kid screams louder everyday." Teddy was squirming again so Harry put him down and he crawled over to Remus and curled up at his father's feet. "And probably he won't talk at all tonight so don't get worried." he added to Dora, she would be with him after all.

"And he won't sleep either." Ginny added. "We've had him a few times on full moon's. He refuses to sleep until dawn then he sleeps for about three hours and act's like nothing happened." she explained.

"It's odd, it's like he's sleeps all night when he's really only had a few hour's." Hermione chuckled, "We have never figured out how he does it and he's too young to tell us."

"En'gy." a little voice said.

Harry looked at his godson in shock, "That's the first time he's spoke or made any noise except screaming on full moons. At least you have an answer Hermione. Energy is how he does it." Hermione nodded.

"Unca Har? Hun'gy."

"I'll get it." Minerva said, "Bobo!" she called. A male house elf appeared with a quiet 'Pop'.

"Yes Mistress Kitty?" he squeaked.

"Can you get something for young Teddy to eat please?" she asked smiling.

"What kind of thing?" the elf asked.

"Mashed bananas and a bottle of chocolate milk will keep him happy." Andy smiled.

The elf nodded and disappeared with the same 'Pop' as when he had arrived.

"Banana's and chocolate milk?" Dora asked looking amused.

"It's all he'll eat." Hermione told her.

"Another full moon thing?" Remus guessed.

"He usually doesn't eat at all. Kind of like what I was like, but I slept all night." Bill chuckled. "Basically it's what it was like for me but with a few additions."

Remus and Dora nodded as Bobo appeared with a tray of the requested food and handed it to Andy before disappearing again.

Andy put the tray on the floor and Teddy crawled over to it and started picking up bit's of mashed banana and eating it happily.

"I have a feeling someone will need a bath tonight." Ron commented as Teddy dropped banana down his front and some chocolate milk when he took a drink.

"Oh well. We can only wipe him clean tonight." Harry sighed, "He's terrified of water..."

"On full moons?" Dora guessed, Harry nodded smirking.

"Kind of like a wolf. Wolves don't like water either." Remus chuckled, "Well... Werewolves don't." he sighed, "And Teddy is part werewolf. Whether I like it or not."

"Oh shut it you. It doesn't change who he is, just a few things about him like being fussy around the full moon." Dora smiled, "Nothing we can't handle." she added as Teddy squashed his mashed banana in his hand.

"Remus, Teddy isn't going to be the only child that's part werewolf." Fleur pointed out gently, she placed a hand on her still flat stomach, "Our children, these two at least, will be part werewolf too. Even if Bill didn't transform, it still count's." Bill nodded in agreement.

"He wont be alone. And he's fine just the way he is." Cissy smiled, "He can make people smile with his little habits and quirks. All being part werewolf does is make him the child we all adore." everyone else was nodding in agreement.

"Beside's, normal's over-rated." Harry smirked, he had cleaned up Teddy, who had clearly had enough banana since he was just playing with it after he'd just finished drinking, with a wave of his wand and had picked him up. "Let's go see Hagrid then."

They said their goodbyes to the portraits, Kingsley and Minerva before leaving the office and heading to the hospital wing.

"Wait here." Harry told them once they got there, "I'll have to explain to Hagrid before he see's you." the all nodded and watched as he entered the hospital wing.

Five minutes later Poppy Pomfrey walked out and told them all to enter after saying hello and welcome back.

Hagrid was sitting in an enlarged, reinforced, bed. He grinned at the sight of the returnees'.

"So it was true!" he yelled happily, "Welcome back you lot. I woul' hug ya but Poppy's not letting me get up." he frowned.

"Hagrid you know why." Poppy said popping her head out of her office.

"Don't mean I like it." he muttered back.

"So what happened to you Hagrid?" Lily asked.

"Nothin', jus' a few scratche's on my back. It was a big group of Bowtruckle's ma brother upset by acciden'. He knocked their nest down when he was in the fores' by acciden'." he replied, "D'ya know abou' Grawp?" he asked suddenly.

"We told them before we came down." Harry smiled, "Oh yeah. D'you remember my cousin Dudley and Aunt Petunia?" Hagrid nodded, "This is them. This is Amber, Dudley's wife and their daughter Cecelia."

"Hello Hagrid." Dudley said hesitantly.

"Dursley." Hagrid nodded to him and Petunia but gave Amber and Cecelia a smile.

"It's Moon now actually." Amber smiled, "We got married under my name."

Dudley quickly explained what had happened with his father and how he had changed.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"Um... 8.30." Harry gulped, "The Lycan's have to go, we need to get into the forest before moonrise." he told Hagrid, "We'll be back in the morning. Have a good night everyone."

Goodbyes were exchanged and all the Lycan's left leaving the hospital wing looking empty.

"I hope they're alright." Lily commented, she looked worried.

"They'll be fine. Remus has been a wolf for longer than them all, sure a different kind of wolf but he know's what he's doing." James soothed her.

"Besides we'll know if something goes wrong. I'll hear them unless their more than a mile out." Sirius said. "They wouldn't do that. Moony knows it's dangerous so they'll probably stay closer to the edge but not enough that the could be stumbled upon accidentally."

"Even if they were stumbled on or had a run in with a human, they're not dangerous to humans according to Death." Molly smiled. "I think Harry only suggested the forest because he want's to make sure Death was telling the truth."

"That and the hunting possibilities." Arthur chuckled, "Death said they'd want to hunt." he shrugged.

"Unca Hag'gy." Teddy smiled.

"'Ello little one." Hagrid smiled, "'Ave you started naming people now?"

"He started doing it the day we returned." Dora grinned.

"Yeh I remember he could on'y name Harry, Andy, Cissy and Draco." Hagrid nodded as Dora put Teddy on the bed beside him. The little boy decided Hagrid was good to climb on and started crawling all over him. "Oi! That tickles." he laughed.

Andy picked Teddy up again, "Teddy are you sleepy?" she asked.

"En'gy." he replied bouncing in her arms.

"That's a no then. Oh well, worth a shot." she shrugged giving him his wolf that had been in her overnight bag. "Here drink this for Grandma." she held a little vial full of a pale blue potion and he drank obediently. A minute later he slumped in her arm's, fast asleep. "Mild sleeping potion." she explained, "I think it's for the best. It will keep him asleep until sunrise, won't harm him at all and allows us to get a sleep." she told her daughter who nodded, smiling slightly.

The group sat and talked to Hagrid for a while until a house-elf showed them to their room's for the night.

As each person was going to sleep, each would swear they heard wolves howling in the distance.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76 - The Next Morning.

11th, August, Wednesday, 1998.

He was lying in a forest with people all around him, dressed in tattered and torn clothes. He was confused as to how he got there. The last thing he could remember clearly was walking into the forest with a group of people. Then it came to him. _Of course, the full moon. We're in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. And for some reason I can't remember much of last night._

_I wonder what time it is? It has to be at least 6am. I'm human again so it's past sunrise._ He looked down at where his watch usually was before remembering he'd taken it off before heading to the forest incase it got too damaged.

He felt the body next to him shiver a little and he turned around to see his girlfriend waking up.

"Morning." he whispered, his voice was hoarse and his throat sore. Now that he thought about it his whole body was sore.

"Morning." she replied, her voice sounded hoarse too and she looked as if it hurt to talk.

"Are you sore?" he asked indicating his throat, she nodded.

"A little. I thought Death said it wouldn't hurt?" she pouted.

He smiled, "Yes he did. You look cute when you pout."

"I thought so. Thank you, you look handsome with blood all over you." she giggled.

He looked down and sure enough he was covered in dried blood down his chest and arms. "What did I do?"

"Ate a rabbit." a man said from his other side making him turn around and notice most of the others were awake, "You two are noisy in the morning." Remus grumbled, "But you decided to hunt last night and you ate a rabbit Harry." he grinned.

"Brilliant." Harry smirked, "Am I the only one who decided to hunt and eat something?" he asked.

"Nope... Ron's covered in blood too." Hermione said looking at her boyfriend who was still asleep. "So are Bill and Neville." the two were starting to stir from where they were curled up not far from each other, Neville next to Luna, Bill a few meters away from them.

"So's Dudley, Astoria and Draco." Petunia added as they woke up. "The rest of us decided to play games. Ginny you're covered in blood too."

"Harry shouldn't we be able to remember this?" Ginny asked frowning looking down at her blood covered arms and chest.

"It'll come back to us eventually." he shrugged.

"When are we heading back?" Remus asked.

"Do you know the way?" Harry asked, "'Cause I don't."

Remus frowned and looked around the clearing they were in. "Er... No, I don't." he admitted, "It's been years since I last ran around in here, I know we're not far in but I don't recognise this particular clearing."

"I've got an idea." Ginny said, she pulled out what looked like a rectangular golden cigarette lighter.

"Of course! The P.C.D." Hermione exclaimed, "I'd completely forgot about them."

Ginny smirked and opened hers, a little green flame appeared, "George Weasley." she said, "If anyone can help it's the twins." she explained.

"Or James and Sirius." Remus added.

"Hullo?" George's sleepy voice said.

"George it's Ginny. We're all human again and kind of lost in the forest. Can you send help please?"

"Sure. Oi! Fred! Time to go on a rescue mission." there was a sleepy mumble in reply, "Just sit tight you lot we're on it."

"Try getting James and Sirius, they know the forest well enough and Padfoot can track our scent's." Remus said.

"We will." Fred's voice came, "Like George said, just sit tight and we'll be there soon. See you soon." the flame disappeared and Ginny put her P.C.D away in her pocket again.

"Well... I guess all we have to do is wait." Harry sighed. "Is anyone else sore?" he asked.

Everyone nodded, "It's still not as bad as the werewolf transformations." Remus said, "More like soreness from sleeping on the ground or muscle sprains, and our throats will be sore from howling."

"Which is likely as we did sleep on the ground and most of the night we spent running around and howling until we fell asleep." Dudley pointed out hoarsely.

"True." Ginny nodded.

Harry looked around again, "You know half of us are covered in blood right? And most of our clothes are destroyed too. What are they going to say when we get to the castle?"

"We're going to call you all mucky pups." James's voice came from behind them, Padfoot was walking beside him with the twins behind them. "What were you lot doing last night?"

"Being wolves and eating rabbits." Remus told them with a smirk, "You were fast." he added.

"Helps when you can turn into a stag or dog. You aren't all that far in and I gave these two a ride." James explained gesturing the twins.

"It was cool." the twins grinned.

"Good thing you remembered the P.C.D Gin-Gin." Fred added.

"You could have been stuck here for ages before we found you." George agreed.

"Well Padfoot found them." James shrugged, "Not much can get past his nose. Especially Moony's scent."

Padfoot changed back into a grinning Sirius, "At least with scents I know and most of your scents were and still are masked with rabbit blood so it's a good thing I recognised Moony's. You really are mucky pup's aren't you?"

"Of course." Ginny smirked, "It was only those not covered in blood that didn't go hunting." she added. "But if they did I'd bet they'd be in the same state as us."

"Probably." Petunia agreed.

"Let's get you all back to the castle. Everyone's awake thank's to another explosion." Sirius said while looking at the twins.

"It wasn't our fault this time." George said.

"Not your fault? I'll believe that when I see it." Ron muttered.

"Okay it was. But it was an accident." George said, "I kicked a bucket and it exploded. I reckon Peeves was at it."

"Probably." Sirius nodded, "Well let's go. You guys need to clean up."

They all nodded and the Lycan's slowly got to their feet as Sirius transformed and started leading the way back to the castle.

At the castle everyone was waiting on the Lycan's, James, Sirius and the twins returning. They were in the Great Hall and Amber was looking around interestedly.

"I wish I had come here." she sighed while feeding Cecelia her morning bottle.

"It's pretty amazing." Lily smiled, "Especially if you never studied here."

"Like me. I was at Beaubaxton's Academy of Magic, in France." Fleur smiled, "I was amazed the first time I came here even if I acted differently then."

"What age were you the first time you visited Hogwarts?" Amber asked.

"I was 17." she replied, "I can't tell you why I came though. Harry will be showing it soon enough anyway."

"Soon? As in his 4th year?" Lily asked.

Fleur nodded, "Oui, he was 14 the first time I met him."

"We had international guest's in Harry's 4th year." Minerva said joining them. "From Beaubaxton's and Durmstrang Academy."

"Why?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Can't say I'm afraid. Harry wouldn't be happy." Dora said, "I will tell you it's big though."

"Is it bad?" Amber asked.

"Um... That's something you need to decide on your own." Minerva said evasively.

"Aren't they back yet?" Andy asked walking in with a very hyper Teddy bouncing in her arms. Cissy was behind her.

"Not yet." Molly frowned. "According to George, Ginny said they didn't know where they were. Remus told him to get James and Sirius to help."

"Padfoot will be able to sniff them out." Lily explained, "And Prong's can move quickly and carry anyone if they needed him to."

"Not to mention those two know the forest quite well." Dora grinned, "After all the moon's they spent with Remus. He told me quite a few stories from his time at school." she explained.

"That's true." Minerva chuckled, "I still can't believe they became Animagi without help or getting caught." she added.

"The Marauder's are never caught doing something like that." James said entering the hall with the others behind him. "We're just that good."

Padfoot bounced over to where the women were sitting and climbed onto a seat beside Lily and looked around impressively.

Molly and Lily shrieked when they saw half of the Lycan's covered in blood and the torn clothes on them all.

"What happened?" Molly demanded.

"Relax Molly. It's rabbit blood. This lot decided to go hunting last night." Remus chuckled, "No idea how our clothes ended up this bad though." he shrugged.

"It'll be the running around." Bill suggested, his voice wasn't as hoarse as the others but it was still a little croaky, "Our fur getting hit by branches and such must've transferred to our clothes, I for one am just grateful we all still have clothes."

"I think we all agree with that." Astoria giggled as the others nodded, some blushing slightly.

"You are messy aren't you." Lily sighed, relaxing now that she knew no one was hurt.

"Mucky pups." Regulus smirked amusedly as he entered the hall and walked past the Lycan's.

"That's what I told them." James snorted.

"We couldn't help it." Harry protested weakly.

"How were we to know rabbits were messy to eat?" Ginny added grinning.

"The clue is that they have blood." Dora made a face, "Of course they're messy."

"Oh well." Draco shrugged, "Still taste good."

"Eww." the non-Lycan women groaned.

"That's gross." Amber said looking faintly sick.

"Don't knock it 'till you try it." Astoria giggled.

"Besides at least it wasn't any other animal." Luna added.

"Like a spider?" Neville suggested.

"Or a deer, or something that could have hurt us back." Luna nodded, "We're not that experienced with fighting in wolf form yet."

"Ugh. How can people eat deer." James groaned.

"People eat venison." Lily corrected.

"And just like that I'm a vegetarian." James made throwing up motion.

Lily giggled, "Just don't eat venison."

"Good plan. I quite like steak and beef." James chuckled. "None of you lot better start hunting deer." he warned the Lycan's.

"Don't plan on it. The rabbit's are hard enough to catch, never mind a deer that could kick back and run faster or a stag that could use its antlers." Dudley told him.

"Good. Now that's settled let's go get cleaned up." Harry said leading the other Lycan's away to get cleaned up. Even those who never had blood on them went as they did have mud and grass stains on them and had to change their clothes too.

"Padfoot, down." James said, Padfoot got off the seat and James took it. "Good boy."

"Do you want a treat?" Fred offered. The dog barked and nodded happily.

"Here you go." George tossed him a custard cream.

"You shouldn't have eaten that Sirius. It's one of their product's." Molly chuckled as Padfoot caught and swallowed the biscuit in one bite, "A canary cream."

Padfoot froze and a second later there was a big poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared a big Padfoot sized canary was sitting there looking confused.

"You're a canary mate." James gasped through his laughter.

Padfoot tried to bark but only a loud 'Cheep!' came out.

Everyone burst out laughing at this.

"How long does it last?" Regulus asked the twins when Padfoot went to sulk in the corner and everyone had calmed down.

"About 10 minutes." Fred told them.

"Which is longer than the first batch we made. The first time it was only 30 seconds." George said.

Padfoot was glaring at them.

"Come on Sirius. It was funny and you know you should never accept food off of these two." Arthur smiled.

Padfoot just looked away from them all and put his head down.

James got up and went over to him, "Come on Paddy. You know their prankster's, doesn't it seem like something we'd do? I know you hate being pranked but..." James whispered something in his ear.

Padfoot stood up and walked out of the hall when James finished whispering to him five minutes later.

"Where'd he go?" Regulus asked.

James shrugged, "I have no idea. Plotting revenge most likely."

"Or he's come to tell me. Since I can apparently understand him." Harry said walking in with the Padfoot-canary beside him and wearing clean, non-ripped clothes, "He told me to tell you to watch your head's." he told the twins, Padfoot made a few whimpering sounds and barked, or rather cheaped, twice. "And that he's not happy being stuck in animal form, he can't change back and he's tried it."

"Sorry Sirius. We only meant it as a joke." George said.

"Yeah we can fix you if you come here." Fred added.

Padfoot looked wary.

"They'll fix you." Harry assured him, "If they don't I'll hex them for you." he promised.

Padfoot nodded and went over to Fred.

Fred took a jar out of his pocket, it was full of a yellow looking cream.

"Stay still and try not to lick it off." George warned as Fred took a bit of cream and rubbed it on Padfoot's nose.

Padfoot whimpered.

"He said it smells horrible." Harry translated.

"We know." Fred said, "We've tried to make it smell better but it doesn't work."

Padfoot sat still and a few seconds later the canary cream wore off and he changed back into an annoyed looking Sirius.

"Not fair." was the first thing he said. "This means war!" he declared.

"You two pranked him didn't you?" Remus asked coming into the hall with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Petunia and Dudley behind him.

"Yep. Sirius just spent the last few minutes as a canary." Dora grinned, "Or rather Padfoot did."

"I've got advice for you two. Run. Fast." Remus told the twins, who shared look's.

"Nah." Fred smirked.

"It's difficult to prank us so..." George continued.

"We're going to let him try..."

"Even if he has help." they both said.

"World war three here we come." Molly groaned, "Nothing life threatening please."

"'Course not." the twins and Marauder's said together.

"Some rule's though." Lily said, "1, you're not allowed to prank anyone who is not a part of this. 2, you're not allowed anything illegal. 3, nothing that will mentally scar your target or anyone at all. 4, you can't break any of the rules or the other side gets points. Got it?" she asked.

The Marauder's nodded.

"Seems fair." the twins agreed.

"Lily! Your going to let them?" Minerva asked, astounded.

"If we tried to stop them it wouldn't work." Dora pointed out.

"That's why I've set rules." Lily smirked, "Better having limits then nothing at all."

"True." Molly sighed as the other Lycan's walked into the hall and sat down. "Oh and Ginny dear?"

"Yes Mum?"

"Happy 17th birthday." she grinned.

"Happy Birthday!" the others said cheerfully as banners appeared from the ceiling.

Ginny looked shocked, "I can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Arthur asked her smiling.

"I forgot my own birthday." she laughed, everyone else laughed too.

"Your presents are at the Burrow so you can get them later." Molly told her making her nod.

Food appeared on the table and everyone dug into their breakfast with enthusiasm, congratulating Ginny on being a legal adult at last.

After breakfast everyone went to visit Hagrid in the hospital wing.

"Hello Hagrid. Poppy still keeping you in?" Minerva asked.

"Yeh I shoul' be allowed ter leave in a bit though." he told her, "It wasn' overly bad an attack... jus' un'spected." he admitted.

"Why did she keep you in then?" Harry asked, "Wait never mind. It's Madame Pomfrey."

"Why thank you Potter." the mentioned woman laughed, she had just come out of her office, "If you must know a few of the scratches were deep."

"An' I don' take well ter healin' potions." Hagrid chuckled, "It's the giant blood in me."

"Ah, that makes sense." Ron nodded. "Harry's just resistant to most of them."

Harry glared at him but nodded. "It's because my body is used to them, right Madame Pomfrey?" he asked.

"More used to them since your fourth year that's for sure." she smiled. "And please call me by my first name. You've been in here often enough as I've told you before, that goes for all of you." they all nodded.

"Sure Poppy, on one condition. You call us by our first names too, as I told you in May." Harry grinned.

"Deal." she smiled, "Right do you mind if I check you over? Just to make sure your magic is still stable." she added. "Ginny too, your's climbed quite a bit last night dear."

Harry and Ginny nodded and walked forward. Poppy checked Harry's first.

"Hmm..." she frowned, "Harry have you noticed there's a part of your magic that's waiting to be activated?" she asked.

Harry frowned and shook his head.

"Oh its fine Poppy, I know what it is." James cut in smoothly. "I just haven't had the time to teach Harry how to activate it just yet."

"Okay as long as you know." she said, "Other than that there's a few points of active power across your back, arms, and legs."

"Advanced healing powers." Ginny reminded her. "We all woke up a little sore from spending the night running and sleeping on the forest floor."

"Of course. Do any of you want an energy restorative?"

"Not for me thanks." Harry smiled, "I'm full of energy."

The other's declined politely as well.

"Well if you're sure." she shrugged, "At least you never came back drenched in blood." she said as she started to check Ginny's magic.

"They did." Lily frowned, "Rabbit blood anyway."

"Yeah they decided to go hunting." Remus nodded, "Half of us anyway. The rest of us just ran around."

Poppy laughed, "Well I suppose it couldn't be avoided, but Remus? You know what I meant when I said covered in blood."

"Yes. You meant not covered in their own blood." he winced, "Kind of like I used to before my 5th year."

"Yes and wasn't I shocked when I found out what had happened to stop you biting yourself."

"Yep. Moony found a new toy." James grinned, "Padfoot." he laughed.

"He chased you a few times too you stupid deer." Sirius retorted.

"I'm a stag, not a deer, there's a difference you mutt." James stuck his tongue out like a child.

"And their off." Remus sighed as James and Sirius started arguing.

"So anythin' bother you's las' nigh'?" Hagrid asked.

"We saw a centaur. But it just said 'Fine night for hunting, Jupiter is in line with Saturn. So there will be load's of prey' and then he walked away." Astoria frowned.

"You didn't recognise him?" Ginny asked.

"I felt like I should have."

Harry nodded, "It was Bane. One of the centaurs that helped in the final battle at one point and the one I saw in my 1st year during the detention with Hagrid."

"So that's how I recognised him. We would have known if it was Firenze." Draco commented, "We saw him almost everyday for 2 years."

"True." Hermione nodded, "It's odd he didn't attack us though."

"Centaurs are good at tellin' who yeh are. Even if yer in animal form." Hagrid smiled. "He would've known who yeh were from yer eyes and fur colour."

"Some of our fur isn't the same colour as our hair though." Bill pointed out, "Mine is mostly grey with little flecks of red through it."

"And Harry has some unusual marking's." Neville added, "In red and white."

"Yeah, I have a red one in the shape of my scar on my forehead and then white ones everywhere I have a scar."

"Well that's probably why you have those marking's, wherever there is white it will be a natural scar and the red will be a curse scar so it's different to the rest." Poppy explained, "Ginny you're fine." she added as she finished checking, "Just the same as Harry, your healing power around your body. And Happy Birthday." she smiled.

"Yeh. 'Appy Birt'day." Hagrid beamed.

"Thank you Poppy, Hagrid." Ginny smiled back.

"A few of you have those white marks though." James pointed out after a moment, "Does that still signal a scar?"

"As far as we can tell, yes." Harry nodded, "It's most likely through the war with this lot." he gestured Draco, Astoria, Neville, Ginny, Bill and Luna. "I gained at least one scar each year. Sixth year is the only year I didn't, I think." he admitted, "And Ron, Hermione have been with me on quite a few 'adventures' but there is a few I went on myself."

"We have fewer than Harry." Hermione agreed. "Because people seemed to target him more than us."

"They did. Voldemort wanted me dead by his own hand so he told his followers to hurt and capture me."

"He wanted you hurt so you wouldn't get away." Draco put in, "Didn't work too well, you got away no matter what. Which we are all grateful for."

"Riddle's mistakes were the main reason I escaped every time." Harry admitted, "He underestimated me until it was too late for him."

"So did a lot of the Death Eater's." Cissy smirked, "It was fun watching them try to figure out where you three were when you were in hiding."

"If I don't want to be found, unless you trick Kreacher, then I can't be found." Harry laughed.

"We didn't trick Kreacher, we just found a loophole and used it to our benefit." Hermione huffed.

"You still got around his orders." Harry pointed out. "And I closed as many loopholes as possible."

"Obviously not enough of them." Ron snorted, "Not if Kreacher was willing to listen to us."

"Which is odd." Sirius commented, he had finished arguing with James, "That elf used to hate you all... The last time I saw him he was perfectly friendly to everyone, even Lily and Hermione." he frowned, "I didn't even know that was possible."

"People can change, why not house-elves." Ginny shrugged, "Winky changed too. She used to sit and mope around about her old masters until last year when the war got bad, she got determined to help as much as she could and she fell in love with Dobby and had kids and now you wouldn't be able to tell she spent almost 3 years in a deep depression."

"And like Winky turning her life around, Kreacher changed. He's nice to everyone I'm nice to, if I'm not nice to them or if he know's I don't like them, he'll subtly insult them or be mean as long as they don't notice and he doesn't go back to how he used to be. He has my permission to do that by the way." Harry added chuckling.

"As well as permission to beat up Mundungus Fletcher?" Regulus asked.

"Yes. Special permission for him." Hermione growled, "Stupid thief."

"I told Kreacher he can beat Dung up and keep him tied up until I get to him if he's caught by Kreacher anyway. He's to come to me as soon as he's been caught though." Harry explained.

A 'Crack' sounded making everyone jump and spin around to see Kreacher standing with a grin on his face and a big box behind him.

"Master Harry." he bowed, "Kreacher has found Mundungus Fletcher."

"How?" Hermione asked.

"The thief was trying to enter the House of Black again, Mistress Hermione." he bowed to her.

"Trying to steal more?" Harry asked. Kreacher shrugged.

"Kreacher doesn't know Master, Kreacher never gave the thief a chance." the elf explained, "But Kreacher sensed the thief at the door to the house, so went to investigate and caught the thief."

"What did you do to him?" Ron asked.

"Kreacher hit him on the head with a frying pan." the old elf said gleefully. "Then put the thief in this box when he passed out."

"Brilliant. Kreacher could you go get Kingsley and tell him to bring an Auror, then head to the kitchen's here to help the other elves." Harry told him, the elf nodded and disappeared. "Dung's been on the wanted list since the end of the war." he explained.

"For handling dark and dangerous objects, theft and breaking and entering." Ron added, "Kingsley reckons he deserves some time locked up."

Harry was opening the box and levitating a confused looking Dung out of it.

"How'd I get 'ere?"

"Never mind Dung. What's this Harry's been telling me about you robbing from Grimmauld?" Sirius demanded.

"'Aint you meant to be dead?"

"Have you seen the Prophet?" Molly asked.

"'Course, it's a scam though."

"It's not." Harry growled, "Show him what a Lycan looks like Gin?" he asked, she nodded and changed into Misty.

"M'kay... she could be an Animagus." Dung pointed out.

"Will some of the rest of you change?" Harry asked without taking his eyes off Dung.

Bill, Dudley, Draco, Astoria and Petunia all changed.

"She's not an Animagus because what are the chances of there being more than one wolf Animagus here in this room. Form's can't be chosen or copied and they're all the same except for their fur colours." Minerva smirked.

"So answer my question. Why were you stealing from Grimmauld Place?" Sirius snarled.

"You never cared about that stuff."

"Defeat's the purpose. You still stole from an Ancient and Most Noble House, from the Black's no less. You're lucky I don't like or want to kill people." Regulus spat.

"Who're you?"

"Regulus Back. Sirius's younger brother."

"Weren't you a..."

"Death Eater? Yes I was but I left a year after I joined."

Kingsley walked in with a woman behind him.

"Good morning everyone. This is Auror Louise Skull."

Everyone greeted them and introduced themselves to the Auror.

She smiled widely as Dora was introduced.

"Dora it's nice to see you again." the Auror smiled.

"You too Louise." she replied. "We worked together on a few cases." she explained to the rest of the room.

After the introductions Auror Skull looked at the floating form of Mundungus then at Harry.

"That's one way to keep him still." she laughed, "We've been looking for him for a while. Did you catch him?"

"No my house-elf did." Harry smiled at the look of shock on her face, "Dung here was trying to steal from my house in London and he's stolen from it before so I allowed my house-elf to beat him unconscious then come to me with his prisoner. Very effective way of catching people."

"And spying." Draco grumbled, "I know you had Dobby and Kreacher following me in our 6th year. Kreacher's not good at hiding."

"And spying." Harry agreed, "He's right I did." he admitted, "I was positive he was up to something and he was. Kreacher has caught Mundungus for me before when we discovered he had stolen an object vital to ending the war that was in the house in London to begin with." he added.

"Stupid bleedin' house-elf." Dung muttered.

"Kreacher's not stupid." Regulus growled.

Dung went silent as he was knocked out with an unknown source.

"What in the world was that?" Auror Skull asked.

"Uh... Oop's." Harry blushed, "Accidental magic. Sorry."

"Accidental magic at your age?"

"Harry is very powerful and still need's to get used to his power level. He's just had a magical block removed so he has a lot more power than what he's used to." Poppy explained running her wand over Harry again, "Your healing's done." she told him.

"Healing?"

"Auror Skull, have you seen the prophet?"

"Of course Minister."

"Then you should know last night was a full moon. And that some of this lot are Lycan's."

"Oh yeah. Never thought of that." she admitted, "Anyway should I take this," she pointed at Mundungus, "to the Ministry now?"

"Please do." Kingsley said. "Put him in the underground holding cell's, one of the ones with the strongest protections, until his trial is sorted, I'll message Gibbon and he can sort it out."

The Auror nodded and bound the unconscious form of Mundungus in ropes before saying goodbye and leaving.

"Who's Gibbon? The name sounds familiar." Dora said.

"He's just below Percy's position." Arthur said.

"Which is?" Regulus prodded.

"I'm Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, he's in between me and the Junior Undersecretary." Percy answered. "Gibbon helps with paperwork before handing it to me. He also does errands for Kingsley."

"Such as setting up court dates and times." Kingsley smiled, "Makes my job easier and Percy's." he chuckled. "That's why I created the position."

"I agree. It does make it easier. The office runs smoother with Gibbon helping."

"Who exactly is Gibbon?" James asked.

"He's a house-elf. He get's paid and day's off of course, he used to belong to a family that was killed about 5 years ago. Since then he was going from department to department helping and delivering messages ect." Kingsley explained. "But he works directly for me now."

"Which is why I recognise the name." Dora grinned, "Helpful little elf was the one who told me the minister was going to kill Remus and I after we were married." she explained.

"I wondered how you knew that." Remus chuckled. "It was when the Death Eaters had taken over the ministry." he added darkly as people looked at the current Minister. "Kingsley wasn't trying to kill me, the one before him was."

"They wanted everyone close to Harry either watched, dead or worse than dead." Kingsley sighed.

"We were watched but they didn't touch us." Ginny nodded, gesturing the other Weasley's, "Which is confusing because the best way to get to Harry..."

"Is to go after those I care about and love." Harry finished. "They would have expected me to contact you."

"Exactly." Cissy nodded. "The group watching you was told to not contact or harm you in any way."

"It consisted of two members of the inner circle and five that weren't, at least at the Burrow." Draco added. "There was others tailing Fred and George and watching the shop. Percy was normally at the ministry, so was Arthur, so they were watched there. Ginny was watched at school and Bill and Fleur couldn't be found except when they were at the Burrow or elsewhere."

"Our cottage was under Fidilius." Bill explained. "No one knew where it was without us knowing and we just Apparated to our property and away from it when needed."

"Good choice. Remus and Dora were being watched closer than you. The one's watching them were told to kill if the chance arose." Draco winced, "The rest were followed too but not as much as the Weasley's, Remus and Dora."

"Do you know who it was who set the order for Dora and I to be killed?" Remus asked.

Cissy nodded, "Greyback and Bella. Greyback wanted you dead Remus and Bella wanted Dora dead."

"Let me guess 'Stain on the family name'?" Andy guessed mocking her sister's tone.

"Yes. Something like that." Cissy nodded.

"She never started actively wanting Dora dead until you two were married and Teddy was on his way." Draco added. "So I'd say that's it. No matter how stupid it sound's."

"Oh well. Bella's dead now, good riddance." Cissy smiled tightly.

"You still miss her don't you Cissy?" Regulus sighed, she nodded slightly.

"She may have been evil to the core but she was still my big sister, that is all I miss her for." she said, "She was a murderer and insane but then again..."

"She was still your big sister and my younger one." Andy nodded, "I know the feeling even if I hated her."

"I didn't know her that well." Draco admitted, "But I know what you mean as well, evil bitch but still family."

"Exactly." Regulus nodded. "Draco has it right, at the end of the day she was family."

"No matter if she was a twisted bitch or not?" Sirius snorted, "I don't mean to be insensitive but I definitely won't miss her."

"You never cared much for her though." Regulus pointed out, "Every time she visited when we were kids you used to drive her and Cissy up the wall with all of your pranks."

"Knew it was you." Andy smirked, "You would never tell me. I could get you to admit to anything else, except that."

"And you wouldn't believe ickle Siri would dare prank your sisters." Cissy snorted.

"He had help." James pointed out. "He told us."

"Who?" Cissy asked.

"Me?" Regulus offered, "Who else was in that house? Do you really think the other kid's would help him? I was the only one willing to help, at least with Bella. She was too proud for her own good." he laughed.

"You corrupted your brother?" Draco asked Sirius.

"Not exactly..." Sirius muttered.

"It was me who did it. Me and Alphard Black." Andy smiled wickedly, "Alphard showed Sirius how to prank people without being caught and I taught him not all Muggles and Muggleborns are scum." she explained, "He told Regulus so technically it wasn't Sirius."

"Nope. It was Andy and Uncle Alphard." Sirius nodded. "I was too young to keep something to myself and had to tell someone, naturally I went to Reg."

"Since we both knew never to go to our parent's for anything." Regulus nodded, "That resulted in a day of punishment or more." he winced.

"Which is what I grew up learning with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia." Harry frowned, "Thinking back to that it was only Vernon that put me in the cupboard and you usually only gave me a few chores Aunt Petunia."

"That's because I hated that cupboard. Why Vernon kept you in there I will never know." she sighed, "I used to argue constantly that there was enough bedrooms and that the cupboard was too small for you, but he wouldn't listen."

"And you couldn't act on your own." Lily nodded. "I know what Vernon would have done," she shuddered, "And I can't say I blame you for not doing anything alone."

"I could or should have done something. Called the police, owled Dumbledore for help, divorced Vernon and took full custody of Dudley..."

"You could have." Harry agreed, "But that's the thing, could have and should have add up to the same thing, didn't." he sighed, "There's no use dwelling on the past. It happened the way it did and there's nothing we can do to change that. I said it before, I'm willing to forgive you and start over, even if it won't be easy." he added, Petunia nodded. "But speaking of dwelling on the past, who want's to go continue the memories?"

Most of the room nodded. As they said goodbye to Hagrid and Poppy, Hermione pulled Harry to the side.

"Do you think Dumbledore would want to watch?" she asked. "He might be interested in how we done it."

"He might. We can ask him and if Minerva's fine with it we can use her office to watch the memories." he replied. She nodded and they went to say their own goodbyes to Hagrid and Poppy before leaving.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77 - Third Year (Part 9.5)

11th, August, 1998.

On the way to Minerva's office Harry stopped suddenly causing Ginny to walk into him.

"Sorry." she said, "What did you stop for?"

"I thought I smelled something odd." he frowned, "It's a scent that's not supposed to be here. But I don't know what it is." he explained. He changed into Shadow and sniffed around for the smell.

After a minute Shadow's head came up and he started following a scent that led him to an empty class room.

Ginny was following behind him.

_What is it?_

_I don't know but it smell's like... Blood._

_Blood? You don't think someones hurt do you? Or that this might be a room that hasn't been cleaned, yet since the war?_ she asked.

_I don't know..._ he admitted, he started sniffing about again and found himself under a desk at the other end of the room. _Ah, found it,_ he announced changing back.

"It's a little animal. It's matted in blood and it's still alive." he told her. He took his wand out and cleaned the blood up, "Oh my! Ginny, come here a moment." he requested, she was beside him in a moment.

"Oh! It's a little wolf cub. I wonder how he got here."

"Lost?" Harry suggested. "It's asleep, why don't we take him to Minerva's office. Before the others come looking for us."

Ginny nodded and conjured a blanket with her wand, "This will keep him warm for now." she explained, "He looks young."

"He?" Harry questioned as Ginny picked up the still sleeping wolf cub.

"I can smell it." she explained. "I noticed the scent is more male than female. Don't know how." she shrugged.

"Well let's get him to Minerva's office and we can give him a better wash. He still has some blood on him."

They both walked quickly to Minerva's office where they met Remus at the bottom of the stairs.

"I was just about to come find you two." he chuckled, "What's that?" he added looking at the wolf cub in Ginny's arms, it was still asleep.

"Wolf cub." Harry told him, "I picked up a scent that turned out to be blood. He was matted in it when I found him in an unused classroom." he explained.

Remus sniffed, "Definitely blood. Smell's like it's off another wolf. Wonder what happened to him?"

"One way to find out." Ginny shrugged, the three went up to the office.

"Oh there y- what's that?" Ron asked.

Harry explained quickly.

"We don't know how he got there." Ginny added when Harry finished, "But we figured it's best to get him cleaned up. Harry and I will be able to question him."

"That's right. I understood Sirius as a dog turned canary, we should be able to understand him." Harry nodded. He conjured a basin and filled it, keeping the level shallow, with warm water, and took the baby wolf from Ginny.

He started washing the cub gently with his hands at first then use a sponge, conjured by Ginny, to get the areas that were harder to wipe clean by hand.

"Any idea what kind of blood it was on him?" James asked watching Harry was the cub with a little shampoo that Hermione handed him.

"It smelled like it was from another wolf." Remus frowned, "There's no doubt that this little guy's been alone for a while, he's way too thin. Does he have any injuries?"

"He's not got any injuries that I can see." Ginny said as Harry rinsed the fur. "And it look's like he's unconscious instead of asleep."

"Considering he never woke up on the way here and that he never woke up when Harry was washing him, I'd tend to agree." Hermione frowned. "But it could be exhaustion. What floor was he on?"

"5th." Harry frowned drying off the cub with his wand and Vanishing the basin and sponge. "Well if he got there himself then you could be right Hermione."

"The question is how?" Minerva nodded, "And maybe why."

"Well... We can keep him here and ask when he's awake. He doesn't look older than two month's old at any rate." Harry sighed.

"We can't leave him." Albus agreed from his portrait. "He is too young to survive alone."

Minerva conjured a box with high sides. "Put him in here and we can tend to him when he wake's." she smiled. Harry nodded and gently put the baby wolf in the box, he noticed there was a warm looking blanket in it so he pulled a little of the blanket loose and draped it over the wolf to keep it warm.

"Now, let's get on with the memories. Minerva if it's okay with you can we finish the memories here?" Harry asked, she nodded, "Albus care to join us?"

"Why not. I'll admit I have been curious about what really happened, re-tellings usually aren't overly detailed." he smiled as he leaned against his portrait.

"True. We usually aren't the kind of people who go over thing's in detail when explaining." Ron chuckled.

"Unless we have to that is." Hermione added. "Why don't all the portrait's join us?" she offered, most of the previous heads of the school nodded.

"Even you Professor Snape." Harry smirked, "I reckon you'd like to know what really happened too."

Snape looked curious but reluctant at the same time.

"I know that look Severus." Lily raised an eyebrow, "You want to know but you don't want something to be revealed."

"It's the shouting match isn't it?" Hermione asked. Snape looked away but nodded slightly, "Relax Professor, no one can hex you and we all know you hate Sirius and Remus anyway."

"That is beside the point Miss Granger!" Snape snapped.

"If it's being embarrassed you're worried about then say so." Draco growled, "Through the memories that Harry has shown so far, everyone he know's have been embarrassed more than once. More often for some than others."

Snape looked shocked at the way Draco had spoken to him.

"Severus, a little embarrassment has never killed anyone before." Albus sighed.

"And we even have a few that embarrasses my Dad, or did you forget about that time with the pensive in my 5th year?" Harry said. James looked over at him curiously but Harry said, "Later Dad." under his breath.

"Fine! I will stay if you permit it." Snape finally gave in.

"And I do permit it so let's start." Harry grinned cheerfully. "Will you lot fill them in while I go get the Pensive? We left it at the Burrow." everyone agreed and Harry went through the Floo.

"Basically we're on our third year. The night we had a run in with Sirius and we found out about Remus." Ron started.

"Through the year we found out more about Sirius and that he supposedly wanted to kill Harry." Hermione continued, "There was the usual stuff too."

"Like Trelawney predicting Harry's death every Divination class." Ginny supplied making most people snicker.

"There was a few other unimportant parts." Ron recalled, "Like me and 'Mione fighting constantly over her cat eating my rat and other stupid things, we will spare you the detail's." this caused a few people to smile.

"Anyway, the part we got to was the night we first met Sirius. Harry decides where we start so I'll let him explain that. I know it's after Professor Snape got knocked out though." Hermione added.

"Which I am still not happy about." Snape grumbled.

"Better than sending a man to his death for something he didn't do." Sirius pouted, "You were going to hand me to the Dementor's and I was innocent the whole time."

"I still don't believe Pettigrew was there even if I know he was the traitor now." he admitted.

"He was there." Remus said, "You were knocked out when he was revealed."

The Floo lit up and Harry appeared again.

"How far have you explained?" he asked them. Hermione told him.

"You missed some." Harry smirked, he proceeded to fill them in on the shouting match, his trying to kill Sirius, Pettigrew being revealed, the argument's and explanation's and finally the start of the journey up to the castle.

"I will warn you that some bit's have been missed out though. I can't remember all of them right now." Harry admitted when he finished filling the portraits in. He took the Pensive out his pocket and placed it on a table across the room as everyone got comfortable. "This one is when were in the tunnel leaving the Shrieking Shack." he added, "Remus? Do you mind if..."

Remus tensed a little, but eventually nodded, "No. Go ahead." he replied with a sigh knowing what Harry meant.

"Thank you. There might be a few bit's that are too scary for Teddy, and Cecelia if she's still awake." Harry smiled, "Do you want me to take Teddy?" he asked Dora who handed him over without hesitation.

"You know what would scare him and when it is." she told him, "It's best if you just hold him." Harry nodded in understanding.

"And Cecelia's asleep." Dudley smiled, "She won't wake up for a while." he added.

"She was up early." Amber nodded.

"Perfect. Now we can start."

**Harry had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry and Hermione brought up the rear.**

**Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Harry could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Harry had the impression Black was making no effort to prevent this.**

"Of course not." Sirius said, smiling with the others. "Sorry Snape." he added, "But you did try to hand me to the Dementors."

Snape shrugged, "It was easily healed. If a bit annoying." he admitted, "And I see now you were right about Pettigrew." he grudgingly added.

**"You know what this means?" Black said abruptly to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"**

**"You're free," said Harry.**

**"Yes..." said Black. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you - I'm your godfather."**

**"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.**

"Crappy way you found out." Sirius told Harry.

"Better than some other way's. I could have been told by Remus with you in the room." Harry pointed out.

"And then I would have been dead." Sirius nodded wincing.

"Not dead, just..."

"Seriously injured?" Sirius smirked.

"Enough with the name pun already." Regulus groaned.

Sirius smirked, "He set me up for that one."

"And your right, you would've been badly hurt." Harry nodded, "When I get angry I can't always control my actions, you saw what happened to Marge Dursley when she insulted Mum and Dad."

"Blew her up, didn't you Potter?" Snape smirked.

"Like a balloon." Dudley grinned cheerfully, "I was scared at the time but she did deserve it and I didn't like her much anyway." he shrugged.

"Neither did I." Petunia agreed, "No one but Vernon and their parents did."

**"Well... your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."**

**Harry waited. Did Black mean what he thought he meant?**

**"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle,"**

"Hell no." James said, earning a warning glare from Lily, "Are you mad Sirius?"

"The sad thing is... That's how it should have been... If Harry had been treated properly." Petunia sighed, "Again I'm sorry Harry."

"If you say sorry again I swear I'll silence you." Harry scowled, "I forgive you already. Maybe not fully but it's almost there."

**said Black. "But... well… think about it. Once my name's cleared... if you wanted a... a different home..."**

**Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Harry's stomach.**

**"What - live with you?" he said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling.**

"Ow." Hermione winced, "I heard the 'thud' but couldn't see you properly." she explained.

**"Leave the Dursleys?"**

**"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd -"**

**"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"**

**Black turned right around to look at him; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but Black didn't seem to care.**

They all laughed. Snape glared at Sirius who tried, and failed, to look apologetic.

**"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"**

**"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.**

**Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger were shining through the starved mask; for a moment, he was recognizable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding.**

"Wow. That did make you look better." Dora commented, "You were healthier than that when I saw you for the first time after... everything."

"Well I had been away from Azkaban for about 3 years." Sirius pointed out, "I was worse when I first broke out."

**They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.**

**Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry and Hermione to pass. At last, all of them were out.**

**The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering. Harry's mind was buzzing. He was going to leave the Dursleys. He was going to live with Sirius Black, his parents' best friend... He felt dazed... What would happen when he told the Dursleys he was going to live with the convict they'd seen on television!**

They all laughed, especially Sirius.

"We would have said you were insane." Dudley laughed.

"Probably dragged you to the hospital too come to think of it. Vernon would have been happy though." Petunia admitted, then she shrugged, "Well he can rot where he is for all I care."

**"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.**

**Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then -**

**A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight.**

Everyone in the room looked worriedly at Remus, who had turned pale again.

**Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Black froze. He flung out one arm to make Harry and Hermione stop.**

**Harry could see Lupin's silhouette. He had gone rigid. Then his limbs began to shake.**

Remus closed his eyes.

"You knew it was full moon." Snape frowned.

"Excitement and discoveries can make people forget things easily Severus." Albus sighed, "It's happened to me before. The night I died is an example of that." Harry frowned looking confused, "The cave Harry." the teen nodded but still looked a little lost, "I'll explain later."

**"Oh, my -" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"**

"Damn!" the men cursed.

"Oh no!" the women gasped.

**"Run," Black whispered. "Run. Now."**

**But Harry couldn't run. Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin. He leapt forward but Black caught him around the chest and threw him back.**

**"Leave it to me - RUN!"**

"Listen to him!" James urged.

**There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away -**

"It's horrible. All you feel is pain until the change stops." Remus winced, "Didn't think it looked as bad either."

**As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew.**

"That was scary." Ron shuddered, "Knowing Remus wasn't in control while transformed and so close as well."

"Good thing Padfoot was there or every single one of you would be dead." Remus shuddered. "The wolf was unforgiving that night, it had been locked away so long."

"Which is bad." Sirius nodded. "I could practically feel the anger."

**They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other.**

**Harry stood, transfixed by the sight, too intent upon the battle to notice anything else.**

"Run!" the Marauders shouted.

"Dont freeze!" Remus groaned, "Padfoot may have been able to distract me from biting and scratching at myself, but its much more difficult to distract a Werewolf not on Wolfsbane from attacking humans when they're able to see or smell them."

**It was Hermione's scream that alerted him -**

**Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light - and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang - Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.**

**"Expelliarmus." Harry yelled, pointing his own wand at Pettigrew; Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, running forward.**

**Too late. Pettigrew had transformed.**

"Brilliant." James sighed, "There goes Padfoot's freedom."

"I got him back." Harry told him, "It was after Sirius died though. He owed me his life for saving him, and he paid the price during the war."

**Harry saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm and heard a scurrying through the grass.**

**There was a howl and a rumbling growl; Harry turned to see the werewolf taking flight; it was galloping into the forest -**

**"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled.**

**Black was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back,**

Remus muttered a weak "Sorry." and Sirius nodded in acknowledgement.

"I know you couldn't help it Moony and I was out of practice." he shrugged.

**but at Harry's words he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the grounds.**

**Harry and Hermione dashed over to Ron.**

**"What did he do to him?" Hermione whispered. Ron's eyes were only half-closed, his mouth hung open; he was definitely alive, they could hear him breathing, but he didn't seem to recognize them.**

**"I don't know..."**

**Harry looked desperately around. Black and Lupin both gone... they had no one but Snape for company, still hanging, unconscious, in midair.**

"Why didn't one of you use 'Enervate'?" Snape inquired.

"Um... Didn't think of that." Hermione blushed.

"I didn't know the spell." Harry shrugged, "Knowing my luck I'd blow you up or something."

Snape rolled his eye's.

**"We'd better get them up to the castle and tell someone," said Harry, pushing his hair out of his eyes, trying to think straight. "Come -"**

**But then, from beyond the range of their vision, they heard a yelping, a whining: a dog in pain...**

**"Sirius," Harry muttered, staring into the darkness.**

**He had a moment's indecision, but there was nothing they could do for Ron at the moment, and by the sound of it, Black was in trouble -**

**Harry set off at a run, Hermione right behind him. The yelping seemed to be coming from the ground near the edge of the lake. They pelted toward it, and Harry, running flat out, felt the cold without realizing what it must mean -**

Sirius's eyes widened and he looked scared. James, Remus and Lily looked the same, worried for Sirius. Harry considered silencing himself for fear of telling them what really happened.

**The yelping stopped abruptly. As they reached the lakeshore, they saw why - Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head.**

**"Nooo," he moaned. "Nooo... please..."**

Harry quickly put a spell on Teddy so he couldn't see the screen or hear anything from the Pensive's direction.

**And then Harry saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them,**

"A hundred?" Sirius choked, "There were a hundred?"

"Yes." Harry nodded.

**gliding in a black mass around the lake toward them. He spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating his insides, fog starting to obscure his vision; more were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling them...**

**"Hermione, think of something happy!" Harry yelled, raising his wand, blinking furiously to try and clear his vision, shaking his head to rid it of the faint screaming that had started inside it -**

**I'm going to live with my godfather. I'm leaving the Dursleys.**

**He forced himself to think of Black, and only Black, and began to chant: "Expecto patronum! Expecto patronum!"**

**Black gave a shudder, rolled over, and lay motionless on the ground, pale as death.**

The present day Sirius, as well as most of the room's occupants, looked just as pale.

**He'll be all right. I'm going to go and live with him.**

**"Expecto patronum! Hermione, help me! Expecto patronum!"**

**"Expecto -" Hermione whispered, "Expecto - Expecto -"**

"You won't be able to do it." Albus sighed, "The charm is too complex and takes a lot of power to do the first time."

"We'd noticed." Hermione smiled. "Harry taught us in our 5th year."

"Along with the rest of the DA. It was draining the first few tries." Neville agreed. "I'm just glad we never had to try it with a Dementor until we could do it every time."

Harry shrugged, "There was no reason to rush you. I had to because of the effect Dementor's have on me. I figured out rather quickly its a bad thing to be unconscious with a soul sucking demon around."

**But she couldn't do it. The Dementors were closing in, barely ten feet from them. They formed a solid wall around Harry and Hermione, and were getting closer...**

**"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled, trying to blot the screaming from his ears. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**

**A thin wisp of silver escaped his wand and hovered like mist before him. At the same moment, Harry felt Hermione collapse next to him. He was alone... completely alone...**

**"Expecto - Expecto patronum -"**

**Harry felt his knees hit the cold grass. Fog was clouding his eyes. With a huge effort, he fought to remember - Sirius was innocent - innocent - We'll be okay - I'm going to live with him -**

**"Expecto patronum!" he gasped.**

**By the feeble light of his formless Patronus, he saw a Dementor halt, very close to him. It couldn't walk through the cloud of silver mist Harry had conjured. A dead, slimy hand slid out from under the cloak. It made a gesture as though to sweep the Patronus aside.**

**"No - no -" Harry gasped. "He's innocent... expecto... expecto patronum -"**

**He could feel them watching him, hear their rattling breath like an evil wind around him. The nearest Dementor seemed to be considering him. Then it raised both its rotting hands - and lowered its hood.**

"No!" the entire room shouted, minus the Golden Trio.

**Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, gray scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth... a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death rattle.**

"Now you know what's under the hood of a Dementor." James said.

Harry nodded, "I wish I didn't."

"Too late now." Ron shrugged.

**A paralyzing terror filled Harry so that he couldn't move or speak. His Patronus flickered and died.**

"No!" Lily moaned.

**White fog was blinding him. He had to fight... expecto patronum... he couldn't see... and in the distance, he heard the familiar screaming... expecto patronum... he groped in the mist for Sirius, and found his arm... they weren't going to take him...**

**But a pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly attached themselves around Harry's neck. They were forcing his face upward... He could feel its breath... It was going to get rid of him first... He could feel its putrid breath... His mother was screaming in his ears... She was going to be the last thing he ever heard -**

"Shit! Sorry Harry, I almost got you kissed." Sirius winced.

"Almost being the key word. I didn't so it's fine." he replied, "Your just lucky Teddy's distracted. He can still hear and see us just not the Pensive."

"Sorry. I forgot." Sirius admitted, "I'll control my language better." he promised.

"That's likely." George whispered to Fred sarcastically. Fred snorted in amusement.

**And then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light growing brighter and brighter... He felt himself fall forward onto the grass... Facedown, too weak to move, sick and shaking, Harry opened his eyes. The Dementor must have released him. The blinding light was illuminating the grass around him... The screaming had stopped, the cold was ebbing away...**

**Something was driving the Dementors back... It was circling around him and Black and Hermione... They were leaving... The air was warm again...**

"Good. Who did it?" James asked.

"Not telling." Harry grinned.

**With every ounce of strength he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an animal amid the light, galloping away across the lake... Eyes blurred with sweat, Harry tried to make out what it was... It was as bright as a unicorn... Fighting to stay conscious, Harry watched it canter to a halt as it reached the opposite shore. For a moment, Harry saw, by its brightness, somebody welcoming it back... raising his hand to pat it... someone who looked strangely familiar... but it couldn't be...**

**Harry didn't understand. He couldn't think anymore. He felt the last of his strength leave him, and his head hit the ground as he fainted.**

"Brilliant." Dora muttered.

"You had to pass out." Charlie frowned. "What if they had come back?"

"We would have been fine." Hermione smiled a we-know-but-we're-not-telling-you, kind of smile.

"How?" Bill asked anyway.

"I showed up." Snape sighed. "I have no clue how you know that Miss Granger." he added.

"Well you'll find out soon enough." Harry smirked.

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78 - Third Year (Part 10)

11th, August, 1998.

"Do we get to find out how you've been getting to classes?" Sirius asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded, "You will. Is this when you just woke up Harry?"

"Yeah." he nodded.

**"Shocking business... shocking... miracle none of them died... never heard the like... by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape..."**

**"Thank you, Minister."**

**"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"**

"What?" James said, "He didn't do anything, he was knocked out!"

Snape snorted, "Like I was going to tell him that."

"Cornelius wouldn't have listened anyway." Albus shrugged, "He felt triumphant to finally have Sirius in his reach."

"Until two teenagers broke his fun." Harry smirked, "No one harms people I care about unless they want trouble." he added.

"And triple the trouble if it's Ron or Hermione. Four times if it's Ginny." Neville grinned. "Six times if Luna and I are involved."

"Yes well times that by even more if the DA get involved. Or us." Bill added gesturing to his brothers.

"Too true." Harry nodded, "Who ever causes trouble for us doesn't know what hit them when we get our revenge."

**"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."**

**"Nasty cut you've got there... Black's work, I suppose?"**

"I wish." Sirius muttered.

**"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, and Granger, Minister..."**

"No it wasn't!" Lily yelled.

"I know." Snape smirked. "I also know it got the three of them out of trouble."

"How?" James asked.

"Watch."

**"Black had bewitched them,"**

"See. Black was already in trouble, if I had told the Minister that they he hadn't touched them then they probably would have been suspended or even expelled." Snape explained smugly, "The life of a double agent always includes half-truths as well as full lies."

"Amazingly, he's right." Remus frowned, "With Sirius unable to get in more trouble then the only thing it did was get the three kids out of trouble."

"I wouldn't have been in trouble if someone hadn't taken me to the castle." Sirius scowled at Snape.

Snape shrugged, "I thought you were the traitor. Even in my Death Eater days, before I was a spy, I never once saw Pettigrew."

"I did." Regulus frowned, "A few times actually. He always wore one of those horrid masks though."

"Which would account for Regulus seeing him and neither you or me, Severus." Cissy nodded, "We always walked around freely and we'd ignore the masked people unless they approached us first."

"That would be it." Snape agreed, "How did you spot him then Regulus?"

"I had figured out about the Animagus thing by then. He had to take the mask off and change his robes before he transformed to leave." Regulus explained, "I saw him a few times that way. And he was always addressed as Wormtail when he was spoken to, I recognised it."

"And you recognised it from when or where?" Sirius asked.

"You." Regulus smirked, "At summer. Did you know you used to talk in your sleep?"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did -"

"Oi! Cut it out. Sirius he's right but it was only at Grimmauld and in the dorm when we were at school." Remus told him.

"Fine." Sirius sighed. "You should have told me about Pettigrew though Reg." he said.

"I would have if not for the loyalty spell's."

**"I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape... They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now... I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves... and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster -"**

**"Ah, well, Snape... Harry Potter, you know... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."**

**"And yet - is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat him like any other student."**

"Yeah right." James snorted.

"That was a understatement. I treated him worse, and I am ashamed of myself for that." Snape frowned, "Sorry Potter."

"It's fine. The feeling was mutual anyway. I hated you just as much as you hated me." Harry grinned.

**"And any other student would be suspended - at the very least - for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister - against all school rules - after all the precautions put in place for his protection - out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer"**

Sirius and Remus growled.

**"- and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too -"**

"How'd you figure that?" Fred asked curiously.

"It's a secret." Snape smirked.

"You saw the memory I had of seeing Harry's head in Hogsmeade." Draco snorted, "It's not that secret Uncle Sev." Snape frowned.

**"Well, well... we shall see, Snape, we shall see... The boy has undoubtedly been foolish..."**

**Harry lay listening with his eyes tight shut. He felt very groggy. The words he was hearing seemed to be traveling very slowly from his ears to his brain, so that it was difficult to understand... His limbs felt like lead; his eyelids too heavy to lift... He wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever...**

**"What amazes me most is the behavior of the Dementors... you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"**

**"No, Minister... by the time I had come around they were heading back to their positions at the entrances..."**

**"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl -"**

**"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."**

**There was a pause. Harry's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach...**

**He opened his eyes.**

**Everything was slightly blurred. Somebody had removed his glasses. He was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Harry squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.**

**Harry moved his head over on the pillow. In the bed to his right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open too. She looked petrified, and when she saw that Harry was awake, pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the hospital wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.**

**Madam Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to Harry's bed. He turned to look at her. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate he had ever seen in his life. It looked like a small boulder.**

**"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.**

**"How's Ron?" said Harry and Hermione together.**

**"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you two, you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Potter, what do you think you're doing?"**

**Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.**

**"I need to see the headmaster," he said.**

**"Potter," said Madam Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black."**

"No!" James shouted.

**"He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will be performing the kiss"**

"That wasn't my intention. If anyone could free Black I knew it would be Potter and Granger." Snape admitted.

"And yet you seemed so annoyed when we did something like that." Hermione smirked, "Glad to know you had faith in us Professor."

Snape rolled his eyes, "Acting. That's all it was Granger, plain and simple acting."

"Why did you act so horribly to everyone?" Lily asked curiously.

Snape looked up at the roof before he answered, "I was a double spy. I knew the chances of the Dark - of fine Albus- Voldemort coming back were high and if I'd been nicer I'd probably have been killed or accused of being too friendly with the enemy." he explained, sowling at Albus, who had coughed when he was about to say Dark Lord.

"Resulting in you being killed." Harry nodded, "Especially if you'd been nicer to me."

"Exactly." Snape nodded curtly.

**"any moment now -"**

**"WHAT?"**

**Harry jumped up out of bed; Hermione had done the same. But his shout had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.**

**"Harry, Harry, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - has he had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.**

**"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's -"**

**But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.**

**"Harry, Harry, you're very confused,"**

"I'm not confused!" Harry huffed. "Yet. In about five minutes time I will be." he added.

**"you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."**

**"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"**

**"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and -"**

**"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded,"**

"They're not confunded!" James said as those who didn't know what really happened looked increasingly worried and scared.

**"both of them... Black's done a very good job on them..."**

**"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.**

**"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"**

**"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"**

**But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth; he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.**

"Now that wasnt really fair." Harry pouted.

**"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave."**

**The door opened again. It was Dumbledore.**

"Albus'll believe them!" James said, though he wasn't sure.

"Of course." Albus smiled, "Even if I don't let the belief show." he added.

**Harry swallowed his mouthful of chocolate with great difficulty and got up again.**

**"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black -"**

**"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"**

**"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black -"**

**"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive -"**

**"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.**

**"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."**

**"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear."**

**"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"**

**"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances -"**

"I'll show him disturbed in my mind." Hermione growled.

**"I would like to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."**

**"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest -"**

**"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."**

**Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.**

**"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."**

**He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.**

**"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.**

**"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.**

**Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.**

**"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"**

"You were using that to try to get rid of me weren't you?" Sirius groaned.

"Yes. I may as well be honest. I was trying to get you put back in Azkaban, not kissed though." Snape replied. "No one deserves that... Maybe a few loyal Death Eaters who were killed anyway." he shrugged.

**"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.**

**Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione. They both burst into speech at the same time.**

**"Professor, Black's telling the truth - we saw Pettigrew - he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf -"**

**"- he's a rat -"**

**"- Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off -"**

**"- Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius -"**

**But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.**

**"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."**

**"Professor Lupin can tell you -" Harry said, unable to stop himself**

**"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything."**

Remus frowned. "How did you know I was deep in the forest?"

"I guessed." Albus shrugged, "The centaurs confirmed it in the morning as did the Acromantula's. Didn't I tell you Hagrid informed me you had a run in with the Acromantula's?"

Remus shook his head, bemused, "Sound's familiar now that you mention it. Must have been when I was dosed up on potions the next day." he shrugged.

**"By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends -"**

**"But -"**

**"Listen to me, Harry. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."**

**"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him -"**

**"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."**

**"But you believe us."**

**"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic..."**

**Harry stared up into the grave face and felt as though the ground beneath him were falling sharply away. He had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. He had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. But no... their last hope was gone.**

"I couldn't tell you straight out. I know Poppy was still in her office and I didn't want to risk it."

"It's fine Prof - Albus." Harry smiled, correcting himself, "We got the message, well Hermione did, and we figured it out on time."

"As I knew you would." he beamed.

**"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Hermione, "is more time."**

**"But -" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"**

**"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law - you know what is at stake... You - must - not - be - seen."**

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. Dumbledore had turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.**

**"I am going to lock you in. It is -" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."**

**"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"**

**But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.**

**"Harry, come here," she said urgently. "Quick!"**

**Harry moved toward her, completely bewildered. She was holding the chain out. He saw a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.**

"A Time-turner?" Molly asked shocked.

"Yes. I explain to Harry for those who don't know what it is." Hermione replied, Dudley, Petunia and Amber nodded.

"And this is why I'm confused but not confunded." Harry chuckled.

**"Here -"**

**She had thrown the chain around his neck too.**

**"Ready?" she said breathlessly.**

**"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost.**

**Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.**

**The dark ward dissolved. Harry had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding, he tried to yell but couldn't hear his own voice -**

**And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again -**

**He was standing next to Hermione in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. He looked wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the hourglass cutting into his neck.**

**"Hermione, what -?"**

**"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm and dragged him across the hall to the door of a broom closet; she opened it, pushed him inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind them.**

**"What - how - Hermione, what happened?"**

**"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off Harry's neck in the darkness. "Three hours back..."**

**Harry found his own leg and gave it a very hard pinch. It hurt a lot, which seemed to rule out the possibility that he was having a very bizarre dream.**

They all laughed.

**"But -"**

**"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think - I think it might be us!" Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door. "Footsteps across the hall... yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"**

**"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"**

**"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than three people... and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak-"**

**She broke off, still listening intently.**

**"We've gone down the front steps..."**

**Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious, but Harry wanted a few questions answered.**

**"Where did you get that hourglass thing?"**

**"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies... I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But... Harry, I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"**

**Harry stared at her shadowy face.**

**"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," he said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago..."**

**"This is three hours ago, and we are walking down to Hagrid's," said Hermione. "We just heard ourselves leaving..."**

**Harry frowned; he felt as though he were screwing up his whole brain in concentration.**

**"Dumbledore just said - just said we could save more than one innocent life..." And then it hit him. "Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"**

**"But - how will that help Sirius?"**

**"Dumbledore said - he just told us where the window is - the window of Flitwick's office! Where they've got Sirius locked up! We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak - they can escape together!"**

**From what Harry could see of Hermione's face, she looked terrified.**

**"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"**

They all nodded.

**"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there... Come on, let's go."**

**Harry pushed open the closet door. The entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the closet and down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.**

**"If anyone's looking out of the window -" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.**

**"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout -"**

**"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!" said Hermione breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"**

**Still working out what she meant, Harry set off at a sprint, Hermione behind him. They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing toward the shelter of the forest...**

**Safe in the shadows of the trees, Harry turned around; seconds later, Hermione arrived beside him, panting.**

**"Right," she gasped. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's... Keep out of sight, Harry..."**

**They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. And Harry heard his own voice.**

**"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."**

**"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.**

**"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently.**

"Is it still?" Dudley inquired.

The Golden Trio looked at each other.

"Definitely not." the said together, all three were smirking. Everybody groaned.

**"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"**

**They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous Hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.**

**"Now?" Harry whispered.**

**"No!"**

"Why not?" James asked.

"The Committee people have to see him or they'll think Hagrid let him go." Remus said. "That only leaves you about a minute. How are you two going to get Buckbeak?"

"We have ways." Harry said mysteriously, "And on this occasion, luck."

**said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"**

**"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry. This was starting to seem impossible.**

**At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.**

**"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment -"**

**Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise.**

**"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we - we just run in there and grab Pettigrew -"**

**"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen -"**

**"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"**

**"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" said Hermione.**

**"I'd - I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on -"**

**"Exactly! You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"**

**"Okay!" said Harry. "It was just an idea, I just thought -"**

**But Hermione nudged him and pointed toward the castle. Harry moved his head a few inches to get a clear view of the distant front doors. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.**

**"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.**

**And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Harry saw himself, Ron, and Hermione walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, without a doubt, the strangest sensation of his life, standing behind the tree, and watching himself in the pumpkin patch.**

**"It's Okay, Beaky, it's okay..." Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."**

**"Hagrid, we can't -"**

**"We'll tell them what really happened -"**

**"They can't kill him -"**

**"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"**

**Harry watched the Hermione in the pumpkin patch throw the Invisibility Cloak over him and Ron.**

**"Go quick. Don' listen..."**

**There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. Harry watched the grass flatten in patches all around the cabin and heard three pairs of feet retreating. He, Ron, and Hermione had gone... but the Harry and Hermione hidden in the trees could now hear what was happening inside the cabin through the back door.**

**"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.**

**"Out - outside," Hagrid croaked.**

**Harry pulled his head out of sight as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Then they heard Fudge.**

**"We - er - have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, You're supposed to listen too, that's procedure -"**

**Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.**

**"Wait here," Harry whispered to Hermione. "I'll do it."**

**As Fudge's voice started again, Harry darted out from behind his tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak.**

**"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall he executed on the sixth of June at sundown -"**

**Careful not to blink, Harry stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes once more and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Harry began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence.**

**"... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair..."**

**"Come on, Buckbeak," Harry murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly... quietly..."**

**"... as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here..."**

**Harry threw all his weight onto the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.**

"Go!" Sirius and James urged.

**"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside -"**

**"No, I - I wan' ter be with him... I don' wan' him ter be alone -"**

**Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.**

**"Buckbeak, move!" Harry hissed.**

**Harry tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The Hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door.**

**"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped. Harry heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.**

**Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.**

**"Harry, hurry!" she mouthed.**

**Harry could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin. He gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees...**

**"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. Harry looked over his shoulder; they were now blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.**

**"Stop!" he whispered to Hermione. "They might hear us."**

**Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Harry, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the Hippogriff seemed to be listening intently. Silence... then -**

**"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"**

**"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"**

**"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.**

They all laughed and James said, "Albus."

**"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.**

**There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.**

**"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"**

They started laughing again.

**Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Harry and Hermione tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.**

**"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest."**

**"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will… Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."**

**"O' - o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in…"**

**Harry and Hermione listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.**

**"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around.**

**"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours… Oh, this is going to be difficult…"**

**She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.**

**"We're going to have to move," said Harry, thinking hard. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."**

**"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember..."**

**They moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.**

**"There's Ron!" said Harry suddenly.**

**A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn and its shout echoed through the still night air.**

**"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come here -"**

**And then they saw two more figures materialize out of nowhere. Harry watched himself and Hermione chasing after Ron. Then he saw Ron dive.**

**"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat -"**

**"There's Sirius!" said Harry. The great shape of the dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow. They saw him bowl Harry over, then seize Ron…**

**"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" said Harry, watching the dog pulling Ron into the roots.**

"Sorry." Sirius said again.

**"Ouch - look, I just got walloped by the tree - and so did you - this is weird -"**

"So glad I couldn't join you." Ron commented, Harry and Hermione laughed.

**The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; they could see themselves darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk. And then the tree froze.**

**"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione.**

**"And there we go..." Harry muttered. "We're in."**

**The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. Seconds later, they heard footsteps quite close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle.**

**"Right after we'd gone down into the passage!" said Hermione. "If only Dumbledore had come with us..."**

**"Macnair and Fudge would've come too," said Harry bitterly. "I bet you anything Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot..."**

Sirius shuddered at the thought of the executioner with the axe.

**They watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then -**

**"Here comes Lupin!" said Harry as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and halting toward the Willow. Harry looked up at the sky. Clouds were obscuring the moon completely.**

**They watched Lupin seize a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Lupin, too, disappeared into the gap in its roots.**

**"If he'd only grabbed the cloak," said Harry. "It's just lying there..."**

**He turned to Hermione.**

**"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and -"**

**"Harry, we mustn't be seen!"**

**"How can you stand this?" he asked Hermione fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He hesitated. "I'm going to grab the cloak!"**

**"Harry, no!"**

**Hermione seized the back of Harry's robes not a moment too soon. Just then, they heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.**

**"See?" Hermione whispered. "See what would have happened? We've got to keep out of sight! No, Buckbeak!"**

**The Hippogriff was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid again; Harry seized his rope too, straining to hold Buckbeak back. They watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. Buckbeak stopped fighting to get away. His head drooped sadly.**

**Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward the Willow.**

**Harry's fists clenched as they watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the cloak and held it up.**

**"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled under his breath.**

James nodded.

**"Shh!"**

**Snape seized the branch Lupin had used to freeze the tree, prodded the knot, and vanished from view as he put on the cloak.**

**"So that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there... and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again..."**

**She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securely around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.**

**"Harry, there's something I don't understand... Why didn't the Dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out... there were so many of them..."**

**Harry sat down too. He explained what he'd seen; how, as the nearest Dementor had lowered its mouth to Harry's, a large silver something had come galloping across the lake and forced the Dementors to retreat.**

**Hermione's mouth was slightly open by the time Harry had finished.**

**"But what was it?"**

**"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the Dementors go," said Harry. "A real Patronus. A powerful one."**

**"But who conjured it?"**

**Harry didn't say anything. He was thinking back to the person he'd seen on the other bank of the lake. He knew who he thought it had been... but how could it have been?**

**"Didn't you see what they looked like?" said Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"**

**"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."**

**"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those Dementors away… If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see -?"**

**"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But... maybe I imagined it... I wasn't thinking straight... I passed out right afterward..."**

**"Who did you think it was?"**

**"I think -" Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound. "I think it was my dad."**

James looked surprised, "I don't think so." he said sadly, his eyes widened and he looked at Harry. "Though I suspect it could have been someone who looked a lot like me. With green eyes." he added.

"Not telling." Harry said quickly, a little too quickly.

James smirked, "It was you."

Harry stayed silent.

**Harry glanced up at Hermione and saw that her mouth was fully open now. She was gazing at him with a mixture of alarm and pity.**

**"Harry, your dad's - well - dead," she said quietly.**

"Yeah." Sirius said sadly.

**"I know that," said Harry quickly.**

**"You think you saw his ghost?"**

**"I don't know... no... he looked solid..."**

**"But then -"**

**"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But... from what I could see... it looked like him... I've got photos of him..."**

**Hermione was still looking at him as though worried about his sanity.**

**"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly. He turned to took at Buckbeak, who was digging his beak into the ground, apparently searching for worms. But he wasn't really watching Buckbeak.**

**He was thinking about his father and about his father's three oldest friends... Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs... Had all four of them been out on the grounds tonight?**

James shook his head.

**Wormtail had reappeared this evening when everyone had thought he was dead... Was it so impossible his father had done the same?**

"That's different though." James sighed. "The traitor faked his death. If I had faked mine then I would have come for you."

"I know. At that time I was just... I don't know, missing you and Mum, trapped in memories. I don't know." Harry shrugged.

**Had he been seeing things across the lake? The figure had been too far away to see distinctly... yet he had felt sure, for a moment, before he'd lost consciousness...**

**The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Hermione sat with her face turned toward the Willow, waiting.**

**And then, at last, after over an hour...**

**"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.**

**She and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots. Then came Hermione... then the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Harry and Black. They all began to walk toward the castle.**

**Harry's heart was starting to beat very fast. He glanced up at the sky. Any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon..**

**"Harry," Hermione muttered as though she knew exactly what he was thinking, "we've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do..."**

**"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again..." said Harry quietly.**

**"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to be doing anything else!"**

**"All right!"**

**The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement -**

**"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming."**

**"Hermione!" said Harry suddenly. "We've got to move!"**

**"We mustn't, I keep telling you -"**

**"Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the forest, right at us!"**

They all gasped, except Harry and Hermione.

Remus had paled. "I was that close to biting you?"

"Buckbeak would have stopped you." Harry said, "He would have scared you off or something."

"Moony the wolf would have backed down." Sirius soothed, "Even when you weren't human the wolf knew when it would be best to run." Remus nodded numbly.

**Hermione gasped.**

**"Quick!" she moaned, dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The Dementors will be coming any moment -"**

**"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "It's empty now - come on!"**

**They ran as fast as they could, Buckbeak cantering along behind them. They could hear the werewolf howling behind them...**

**The cabin was in sight; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Hermione and Buckbeak flashed past him; Harry threw himself in after them and bolted the door. Fang the boarhound barked loudly.**

**"Shh, Fang, it's us!" said Hermione, hurrying over and scratching his ears to quieten him. "That was really close!" she said to Harry.**

**"Yeah..."**

**Harry was looking out of the window. It was much harder to see what was going on from here. Buckbeak seemed very happy to find himself back inside Hagrid's house. He lay down in front of the fire, folded his wings contentedly, and seemed ready for a good nap.**

**"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," said Harry slowly. "I can't see what's going on - we won't know when it's time -"**

**Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious.**

**"I'm not going to try and interfere," said Harry quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"**

**"Well... okay, then... I'll wait here with Buckbeak... but Harry, be careful - there's a werewolf out there - and the Dementors."**

**Harry stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. He could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the Dementors were closing in on Sirius... He and Hermione would be running to him any moment...**

**Harry stared out toward the lake, his heart doing a kind of drumroll in his chest... Whoever had sent that Patronus would be appearing at any moment...**

**For a fraction of a second he stood, irresolute, in front of Hagrid's door. You must not be seen. But he didn't want to be seen. He wanted to do the seeing... He had to know...**

**And there were the Dementors. They were emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake... They were moving away from where Harry stood, to the opposite bank... He wouldn't have to get near them...**

**Harry began to run. He had no thought in his head except his father... If it was him... if it really was him... he had to know, had to find out...**

**The lake was coming nearer and nearer, but there was no sign of anybody. On the opposite bank, he could see tiny glimmers of silver - his own attempts at a Patronus -**

**There was a bush at the very edge of the water. Harry threw himself behind it, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. A terrified excitement shot through him - any moment now -**

**"Come on!" he muttered, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on -"**

**But no one came. Harry raised his head to look at the circle of Dementors across the lake. One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear - but no one was coming to help this time -**

**And then it hit him - he understood. He hadn't seen his father he had seen himself -**

**Harry flung himself out from behind the bush and pulled out his wand.**

**"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he yelled.**

**And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a horse. It was galloping silently away from him, across the black surface of the lake. He saw it lower its head and charge at the swarming Dementors... Now it was galloping around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the Dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness... They were gone.**

**The Patronus turned. It was cantering back toward Harry across the still surface of the water. It wasn't a horse. It wasn't a unicorn, either. It was a stag.**

James looked stunned.

"You protected him mate." Sirius smiled. "At least in spirit."

Slowly, James began to grin.

**It was shining brightly as the moon above... it was coming back to him...**

**It stopped on the bank. Its hooves made no mark on the soft ground as it stared at Harry with its large, silver eyes. Slowly, it bowed its antlered head. And Harry realized... "Prongs," he whispered.**

"So all of the Marauders were on the grounds again." Lily smiled, "Even if one was only in spirit and not in a normal way."

"Just show's how split up we really were then." Sirius sighed, "We all turned on each other because one of us killed another."

"You better not still be blaming yourself for that." Remus warned him.

"It was all my fault though." he grumbled.

"Stop it Padfoot, we all have things we blame ourselves for. You can't expect me to ever forgive myself for having so little faith in you that I left you to rot in Azkaban for twelve years. Just as James and Lily will never forgive themselves for trusting Wormtail and leaving Harry to grow up in an abusive home. Just as you will never forgive yourself for believing I was a Death Eater, and Harry will never forgive himself for being taken in by Voldemort's scheme in his fifth year. We all have things that no matter what anyone says, we will never forgive ourselves for. The best we can hope to do is to learn from them and try to make up for them as we go on. We can't let them hold us back. We've all betrayed one another at some point, but our love for each other balances that out. Don't you see how close these things make us?" Remus said firmly.

"It makes us stronger." James nodded, "Remember what my Mum used to tell us?"

"'Loving and not loathing keeps the world going round'." Sirius quoted, "I know what you mean, really I do, but I cant help but blame myself a little."

Everyone else had listened curiously and smiled softly as they turned back to the memory.

**But as his trembling fingertips stretched toward the creature, it vanished.**

**Harry stood there, hand still outstretched. Then, with a great leap of his heart, he heard hooves behind him. He whirled around and saw Hermione dashing toward him, dragging Buckbeak behind her.**

**"What did you do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"**

**"I just saved all our lives..." said Harry. "Get behind here, behind this bush - I'll explain."**

**Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth open yet again.**

**"Did anyone see you?"**

**"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad! It's okay!"**

**"Harry, I can't believe it. You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic."**

**"I knew I could do it this time," said Harry, "because I'd already done it... Does that make sense?"**

**"I don't know - Harry, look at Snape!"**

**Together they peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry, Hermione, and Black onto them. A fourth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away toward the castle.**

**"Right, it's nearly time," said Hermione tensely, looking at her watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realizes we're missing..."**

**They waited, watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while the bush next to them whispered in the breeze. Buckbeak, bored, was ferreting for worms again.**

**"Do you reckon he's up there yet?" said Harry, checking his watch. He looked up at the castle and began counting the windows to the right of the West Tower.**

**"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"**

**Harry stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt.**

**"Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione -"**

**Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her a leg up. Then he placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of her. He pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins.**

**"Ready?" he whispered to Hermione. "You'd better hold on to me -"**

**He nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.**

**Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Harry gripped his flanks with his knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Hermione was holding Harry very tight around the waist; he could hear her muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this oh, I really don't like this -"**

The twins, James and Sirius laughed and the others smiled amusedly.

"I don't like flying that much." Hermione shrugged, smiling a little.

**Harry urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle... Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Harry was trying to count the windows flashing past -**

**"Whoa!" he said, pulling backward as hard as he could.**

**Buckbeak slowed down and they found themselves at a stop, unless you counted the fact that they kept rising up and down several feet as the Hippogriff beat his wings to remain airborne.**

**"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.**

**Black looked up. Harry saw his jaw drop.**

"It's not everyday you see your godson and one of his best friends outside a window on a high up floor." Sirius laughed. "I was more shocked when I saw how you were doing it."

"Did you really think we would leave you? Or use a normal thing like brooms when clearly the case wasn't normal?" Hermione smirked.

"I guess not." he shrugged.

**He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.**

"Of course they're not going to leave the window unlocked." Sirius said, still smiling.

"Did they really think you would jump?" Amber asked.

"That window was always locked." Minerva smiled. "The catch was faulty so it was kept locked unless it needed to be open and Filluis prefered it closed."

**"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand.**

**"Alohomora!"**

**The window sprang open.**

**"How - how -?" said Black weakly, staring at the Hippogriff.**

**"Get on - there's not much time," said Harry, gripping Buckbeak firmly on either side of his sleek neck to hold him steady. "You've got to get out of here - the Dementors are coming - Macnair's gone to get them."**

**Black placed a hand on either side of the window frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. It was very lucky he was so thin. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself onto the Hippogriff behind Hermione.**

**"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower - come on."**

**The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry and Hermione slid off him at once.**

**"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."**

**Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.**

**"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.**

**"He's going to be okay. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick - go -"**

**But Black was still staring down at Harry.**

**"How can I ever thank -"**

**"GO!" Harry and Hermione shouted together.**

**Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.**

**"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are - truly your father's son, Harry..."**

**He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Harry and Hermione jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more... The Hippogriff took off into the air... He and his rider became smaller and smaller as Harry gazed after them... then a cloud drifted across the moon... They were gone.**

"Whoo! Now all you need to do is get back to the hospital wing." James cheered.

"And don't worry about me either." Sirius added.

"We can't do both." Harry protested, "The worrying waited until later though."

"Ah well. It's to be expected when you didn't hear from me until you were on your way home." Sirius admitted, "I would have wrote sooner but..."

"You were trying not to get caught. It's okay Sirius we understood." Hermione smiled. "You wouldn't be much good if you got caught and either killed or kissed. It would defeat the purpose of us saving you."

"True." Harry winced. "But at the same time I will never regret doing what we did that night." he smiled as Hermione nodded in agreement. "Let's continue, this is the last memory of our third year."

* * *

><p>Review please x<p> 


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 76 - Third Year (Part 10.5)

11th, August, 1998.

"Please tell me the rest of the year is nice and calm." Lily said.

"In a way, yes it is." Ron confirmed.

"There's us getting back to the hospital wing." Hermione started.

"But there is a tiny bit of sadness." Harry admitted.

"And then there's a little funny bit at the end." Ron grinned.

**"Harry!"**

**Hermione was tugging at his sleeve, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us - before Dumbledore locks the door -"**

**"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go..."**

**They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.**

**"... only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"**

"Won't they be thrilled when they find out I'm gone?" Sirius said, grinning.

"No we weren't." Snape smirked, "Even if you weren't going to get kissed in the first place."

"You really think I'd let Dementors kiss someone on school grounds?" Albus chuckled. "I had protections around the entryways, no Dementor could pass unless I allowed it."

"And you never told me that because..."

"Because, Sirius, If I had there was a chance you would have been taken to the ministry and kissed immediately if anyone had heard us."

"And we had Dementors available at that time so it's good that he never." Dora nodded, "There was a passage from the ministry to Azkaban for the Dementors to get there quickly. Only Aurors and Hit Wizard's and of course the Minister knew where it was."

"I know that." Sirius admitted, "I did go through Auror training even if it was only the speeded up version."

James nodded, "Our mentor told us about it."

"Who?" Draco asked.

"Charlus Potter, James's Dad. And Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody when James's Dad retired." Sirius smirked.

"Moody told us about the tunnel when Dad retired." James added.

"Huh. Trust Mad-Eye to tell you two." Dora laughed. "He was my mentor too, he told me about the tunnel just after I compleated training."

**"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last..."**

"Then lost him again!" James shouted, laughing.

**"I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape... and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him..."**

**Harry clenched his teeth. He caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Harry and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor - then they heard a cackling ahead.**

**"Peeves!" Harry muttered, grabbing Hermione's wrist. "In here!"**

**They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.**

**"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius..." She checked her watch. "Three minutes, Harry!"**

**They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.**

**"Hermione - what'll happen - if we don't get back inside before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted.**

**"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"**

**They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay - I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. "Come on, Harry!"**

**They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.**

**"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "it is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."**

**Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he said quietly.**

**"We did it!" said Harry breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak..."**

**Dumbledore beamed at them.**

**"Well done. I think -" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too - get inside - I'll lock you in -"**

**Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed.**

"I missed everything." Ron moaned.

"I thought you said you were glad you couldn't come?" Hermione asked.

"Oh I am. That doesn't mean I like missing adventures though." he smirked.

**As the lock clicked behind them, Harry and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office.**

**"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"**

**She was in a very bad mood. Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But Harry could hardly swallow. He and Hermione were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling... And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them...**

**"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.**

**Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door.**

**"Really - they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"**

**Harry was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer -**

**"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out -"**

**"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS - HAS - SOMETHING - TO - DO - WITH - POTTER!"**

They all started howling with laughter. Except Snape who left his portrait without saying anything.

**"Severus - be reasonable - Harry has been locked up -"**

**BAM.**

**The door of the hospital wing burst open.**

**Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself.**

"Isn't he always?" Minerva asked casting an amused look at Albus.

**Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.**

**"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"**

**"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"**

**"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw -"**

**"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.**

James and Sirius grimaced.

**"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"**

**"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT -"**

**"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"**

**"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"**

**"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."**

**Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.**

**"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."**

**"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."**

**"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughing stock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."**

**"And the Dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"**

**"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy... Completely out of control... no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight... Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance..."**

"Hagrid would like that." Lily said, smiling. She missed the look that Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione shared.

**"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.**

**There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.**

**"What - what happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"**

**Harry and Hermione looked at each other.**

**"You explain," said Harry, helping himself to some more chocolate.**

**When Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering, heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron nor Hermione felt like going, however, so they and Harry wandered onto the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. Sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water, Harry lost the thread of the conversation as he looked across to the opposite bank. The stag had galloped toward him from there just last night...**

**A shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.**

**"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said. "I mean, Black escapin' again, an, everythin' - but guess what?"**

**"What?" they said, pretending to look curious.**

**"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"**

**"That's wonderful!" said Hermione, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing.**

**"Yeah... can't've tied him up properly," said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. "I was worried this mornin', mind... thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night..."**

"I don't think a werewolf could eat an entire hippogriff." Sirius said.

"I'd rather not ponder it." Remus said. "But it's more likely that Buckbeak would have killed me if I threatened him anyway."

**"What?" said Harry quickly.**

**"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er - Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'... Thought everyone'd know by now... Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see."**

"He told them?" Sirius shouted, outraged.

"Worse could've happened." Harry said.

"What?"

"None of our Defense teachers have lasted more than a year." Harry said. "Quarrel died and Lockhart got his memory wiped, so having to resign isn't that bad."

"True enough." Remus nodded.

"Uncle Sev never told the Slytherin's." Draco admitted, "He told me and I told them. So technically he never broke his promise never to reveal you to the student's. He only told one and that didn't really count, as he is my godfather." he added.

"That was quite clever of him. Even if Remus did have to resign." Andy commented.

**"An' he was loose on the grounds las' night... He's packin' now, o' course."**

**"He's packing?" said Harry, alarmed. "Why?"**

**"Leavin', isn' he?" said Hagrid, looking surprised that Harry had to ask. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin again."**

**Harry scrambled to his feet.**

**"I'm going to see him," he said to Ron and Hermione.**

**"But if he's resigned -"**

**"- doesn't sound like there's anything we can do -"**

**"I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here."**

**Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Harry knocked on the door.**

**"I saw you coming," said Lupin, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.**

**"I just saw Hagrid," said Harry. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"**

**"I'm afraid it is," said Lupin. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.**

**"Why?" said Harry. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"**

**Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind Harry.**

**"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he - er - accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."**

**"You're not leaving just because of that!" said Harry.**

**Lupin smiled wryly.**

**"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you... That must never happen again."**

**"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" said Harry. "Don't go!"**

Remus smiled at Harry who grinned back.

**Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Then, while Harry was trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Lupin said, "From what the headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned... Tell me about your Patronus."**

**"How d'you know about that?" said Harry, distracted.**

**"What else could have driven the Dementors back?"**

**Harry told Lupin what had happened. When he'd finished, Lupin was smiling again.**

**"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said. "You guessed right... that's why we called him Prongs."**

**Lupin threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.**

**"Here - I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. "And..." He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it."**

"Remus! Don't encourage him to make trouble." Lily scolded him.

"No point." Dora laughed, "He'd find some way to get into it himself anyway."

"She's right." Harry nodded, "I would, not on purpose though." he added hastily.

**Harry took the map and grinned.**

**"You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny."**

"We would." the Marauders grinned.

**"And so we would have," said Lupin, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."**

**There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket.**

**It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry there.**

**"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.**

**"Thank You, Headmaster."**

**Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.**

**"Well - good-bye, Harry," he said, smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage..."**

**Harry had the impression that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as possible.**

"I did. Before the owls from the parents arrived anyway. There were a few unpleasant looking Howlers in the mail that did get through to me." Remus admitted.

"Unpleasant looking?" Bill asked.

"I set them on fire before they blew up. It's a rather effective way to get rid of them." he grinned.

"Unless you're me and your parents make them fireproof." James huffed, "We always had to listen to my Mum screaming at us." he gestured Sirius who nodded.

"Only for big stuff she didn't find at all amusing." Sirius added, "Then we had to listen to Lily shouting at us for the smaller things."

"Only when someone could've been hurt." Lily smirked.

"Which was never. Really Lily, do you think I'd let them do something that could hurt people badly?" Remus snorted.

"Guess not." she shrugged.

**"Good-bye, then, Remus," said Dumbledore soberly. Lupin shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harry and a swift smile, Lupin left the office.**

**Harry sat down in his vacated chair, staring glumly at the floor. He heard the door close and looked up. Dumbledore was still there.**

**"Why so miserable, Harry?" he said quietly. "You should be very proud of yourself after last night."**

**"It didn't make any difference," said Harry bitterly. "Pettigrew got away."**

**"Didn't make any difference?" said Dumbledore quietly, "it made all the difference in the world, Harry. You helped uncover the truth. You saved an innocent man from a terrible fate."**

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Sirius told Harry, smiling.

Harry laughed, "No problem."

**Terrible. Something stirred in Harry's memory. Greater and more terrible than ever before... Professor Trelawney's prediction!**

**"Professor Dumbledore - yesterday, when I was having my Divination exam, Professor Trelawney went very - very strange."**

**"Indeed?" said Dumbledore. "Er - stranger than usual, you mean?"**

They all laughed slightly.

**"Yes... her voice went all deep and her eyes rolled and she said... she said Voldemort's servant was going to set out to return to him before midnight... She said the servant would help him come back to power." Harry stared up at Dumbledore. "And then she sort of became normal again, and she couldn't remember anything she'd said. Was it - was she making a real prediction?"**

**Dumbledore looked mildly impressed.**

**"Do you know, Harry, I think she might have been." he said thoughtfully. "Who'd have thought it? That brings her total of real predictions up to two. I should offer her a pay raise..."**

They all laughed.

**"But -" Harry looked at him, aghast. How could Dumbledore take this so calmly?**

"Years of experience, my boy." Albus told him, chuckling amusedly.

**"But - I stopped Sirius and Professor Lupin from killing Pettigrew! That makes it my fault if Voldemort comes back!"**

**"It does not," said Dumbledore quietly. "Hasn't your experience with the Time-Turner taught you anything, Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed... Professor Trelawney, bless her, is living proof of that... You did a very noble thing, in saving Pettigrew's life."**

**"But if he helps Voldemort back to power..."**

**"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt... When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."**

**"I don't want a connection with Pettigrew!" said Harry. "He betrayed my parents!"**

**"This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me... the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life."**

Harry and Ron nodded.

**Harry couldn't imagine when that would be.**

**Dumbledore looked as though he knew what Harry was thinking.**

**"I knew your father very well, both at Hogwarts and later, Harry," he said gently. "He would have saved Pettigrew too, I am sure of it."**

**Harry looked up at him. Dumbledore wouldn't laugh - he could tell Dumbledore...**

**"I thought it was my dad who'd conjured my Patronus. I mean, when I saw myself across the lake... I thought I was seeing him."**

**"An easy mistake to make," said Dumbledore softly. "I expect you'll tire of hearing it, but you do look extraordinarily like James. Except for the eyes... you have your mother's eyes."**

**Harry shook his head.**

**"It was stupid, thinking it was him," he muttered. "I mean, I knew he was dead."**

**"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night."**

James smiled then said, "Wait? How do you know?"

Albus gestured for him to continue watching.

**It took a moment for Harry to realize what Dumbledore had said.**

**"Last night Sirius told me all about how they became Animagi,"**

"Oh." James smiled, "That's how you knew."

Albus nodded.

**said Dumbledore, smiling. "An extraordinary achievement - not least, keeping it quiet from me. And then I remembered the most unusual form your Patronus took, when it charged Mr. Malfoy down at your Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. You know, Harry, in a way, you did see your father last night... You found him inside yourself."**

**And Dumbledore left the office, leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts.**

**Nobody at Hogwarts now knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak, and Pettigrew had vanished except Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore. As the end of term approached, Harry heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.**

**Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.**

**"If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen - his girlfriend, Penelope.**

**Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, though he knew they had achieved the near impossible in helping Sirius to freedom, Harry had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits.**

"What?"

"Remus leaving the school." Harry explained.

James smacked the top of Remus's head lightly. "Bad Moony. You could have waited until the end of term."

Remus shook his head looking amused.

**He certainly wasn't the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation.**

**"Wonder what they'll give us next year?" said Seamus Finnigan gloomily.**

**"Maybe a vampire," suggested Dean Thomas hopefully.**

"Now that would be impossible." Albus chuckled, "And too dangerous. I couldn't hire a teacher that doesn't eat or drink anything except blood. It would be too suspicious at mealtimes for a start."

**It wasn't only Professor Lupin's departure that was weighing on Harry's mind. He couldn't help thinking a lot about Professor Trelawney's prediction. He kept wondering where Pettigrew was now, whether he had sought sanctuary with Voldemort yet. But the thing that was lowering Harry's spirits most of all was the prospect of returning to the Dursleys. For maybe half an hour, a glorious half hour, he had believed he would be living with Sirius from now on... his parents' best friend... It would have been the next best thing to having his own father back. And while no news of Sirius was definitely good news, because it meant he had successfully gone into hiding, Harry couldn't help feeling miserable when he thought of the home he might have had, and the fact that it was now impossible.**

**The exam results came out on the last day of term. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. Harry was amazed that he had got through Potions. He had a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore might have stepped in to stop Snape failing him on purpose. Snape's behavior toward Harry over the past week had been quite alarming. Harry wouldn't have thought it possible that Snape's dislike for him could increase, but it certainly had. A muscle twitched unpleasantly at the corner of Snape's thin mouth every time he looked at Harry, and he was constantly flexing his fingers, as though itching to place them around Harry's throat.**

**Percy had got his top-grade N.E.W.T.s; Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship for the third year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Harry managed to forget about the journey back to the Dursleys the next day as he ate, drank, talked, and laughed with the rest.**

**As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Harry and Ron some surprising news.**

**"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."**

**"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!"** **said Ron.**

"Whoa." Sirius said, surprised, and then turning to Hermione, "You beat Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes as Hermione shrugged, "I'm Muggleborn, I grew up with everything we were learning about in my house. I really didn't need the subject."

**"I know," sighed Hermione, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."**

**"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it," said Ron grumpily. "We're supposed to be your friends."**

**"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," said Hermione severely. She looked around at Harry, who was watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain. Two whole months before he'd see it again...**

**"Oh, cheer up, Harry!" said Hermione sadly.**

**"I'm okay," said Harry quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."**

**"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too," said Ron. "Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now -"**

**"A telephone, Ron," said Hermione. "Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year..."**

**Ron ignored her.**

**"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer!"**

James and Sirius yelled loudly, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"Shh!" Remus said irritably as they continued to yell and dance around, "Do you want to see it or not?" the two went quiet instantly and sat down again.

**"How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."**

**This proposal had the effect of cheering Harry up a great deal.**

**"Yeah... I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come... especially after what I did to Aunt Marge..."**

"I already thought it was funny." Petunia shrugged, "Vernon was still mad though."

"I'd guessed that." Harry grinned.

**Feeling considerably more cheerful, Harry joined Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, he bought himself a very large lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it.**

**But it was late in the afternoon before the thing that made him truly happy turned up...**

**"Harry," said Hermione suddenly, peering over his shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?"**

**Harry turned to look outside. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter that was much too big for it.**

**The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it. It felt like a very fluffy Snitch. He brought it carefully inside.**

**The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with a sort of dignified disapproval. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way.**

**Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He ripped open the letter, and shouted, "It's from Sirius!"**

Sirius smiled but didn't say anything.

**"What?" said Ron and Hermione excitedly. "Read it aloud!"**

**Dear Harry,**

**I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post.**

**Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.**

**I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.**

**There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt -**

**"Ha!" said Hermione triumphantly. "See! I told you it was from him!"**

**"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" said Ron. "Ouch!" The tiny owl now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way.**

**- Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather.**

**I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you.**

**I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.**

**I'll write again soon.**

**Sirius**

**Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly and felt suddenly as warm and contented as though he'd swallowed a bottle of hot butterbeer in one gulp.**

**I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.**

They all cheered.

**"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" said Harry happily. He looked back at Sirius's letter. "Hang on, there's a PS..."**

**I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.**

"That was uncharacteristically nice of you." James said cheerily, causing Sirius to glare at him.

**Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. "Keep him?" he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to Harry's and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.**

**"What do you reckon?" Ron asked the cat. "Definitely an owl?"**

**Crookshanks purred.**

**"That's good enough for me," said Ron happily. "He's mine."**

**Harry read and reread the letter from Sirius all the way back into King's Cross station. It was still clutched tightly in his hand as he, Ron, and Hermione stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. Harry spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed.**

**"I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yelled after Harry as Harry bid him and Hermione good-bye, then wheeled the trolley bearing his trunk and Hedwig's cage toward Uncle Vernon, who greeted him in his usual fashion.**

**"What's that?" he snarled, staring at the envelope Harry was still clutching in his hand. "If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another -"**

**"It's not," said Harry cheerfully. "It's a letter from my godfather."**

**"Godfather?" sputtered Uncle Vernon. "You haven't got a godfather!"**

"Yes he does. He's an escaped convict that's on the run, but he still like to keep in touch; make sure Harry's alright.", James said, causing Harry to give him a shocked look.

**"Yes, I have," said Harry brightly. "He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though... keep up with my news... check if I'm happy…"**

They all started laughing slightly as James said, "Weird..."

**And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harry set off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.**

"Definitely." Harry smiled, "That was our third year then."

"Wow. Very... Eventful." Regulus said.

Harry snorted. "Well don't get used to that." he muttered.

"Please tell me that by saying that you mean your life get's less dangerous?" Lily asked.

"Um..." Harry frowned, "Not less dangerous, more..."

"Exciting?" Hermione suggested.

"Traumatic?" Ron said.

"Heart stopping?" Ginny asked.

"Death defying?" Hermione added.

"Hmm... Terrifying?" Neville guessed.

"I was going to say interesting." Harry chuckled. "But those all work too. I suppose we could just call it a disaster and be done with it." he snorted.

"I vote yes for that." Luna grinned, the other teens nodded.

"Brilliant." James muttered sarcastically. "Remind me again how many heart attack's we'll probably have?"

"Too many to count." Ron muttered.

"Be fair Ron. We could count them but it would take a year or two." Harry smirked, "Scary for those who don't know what really happened at least." he frowned, "Some part's will scare us too and we've lived these memories. If not Ron and Hermione with all of them." he added.

"That's true." Hermione sighed. "We weren't always with you physically but when we weren't we always thought about how you were doing and what you were doing... Whether you'd come back alive or..." her lip trembled and Ron hugged her.

"I know 'Mione, I really do." Harry sighed standing up with Teddy in his arms, "I'm usually the one in trouble." he told the room, "So as these memories are mine, you may not always like what you see. There may be times when one of us has to leave, or all of us even." he gestured to Ron and Hermione, "These next few years you will see are mainly bad. I'd say 4th is the worst but I'd bet that another year could be worse." he admitted softly. "There was always the chance I wouldn't live through the war." he went on conversationally, "I knew it from my first year, I just didn't know the reason behind my knowing. Let's just say that I knew Voldemort was after me and I knew not many people lived when he decided to kill them."

Lily was looking at her son sadly. James on the other hand looked confused. The rest of the room looked sad and depressed.

"Where are you going with this?" James asked.

"Well... Basically I'm warning you that you're not going to like most of the next few years. But I'm also going to say that we're leaving the memories for a day or two. I've known since the age of 11 that Voldemort would try to kill me, so I figured you lot could use a little time to let that sink in. He tries to kill me again in my fourth year, he would have if he had the chance in 5th, in 6th it's complicated but he would have tried again, if he had the chance and last year... You'll find out when we get there." Harry sighed.

"Sound's bad." Lily commented.

"It is." Hermione nodded sadly, "After 4th year like Harry said... It get's bad."

"And steadily worse." Ron added.

"How bad is bad?" Regulus asked.

"Bad." Harry said shortly. "On a scale from 1 to 10 it's about 7. And that's only because there was happy times too, just not too many."

"That is bad." James nodded frowning, "How may time have we said the word 'bad' in the past five minutes?"

"A lot. Let's stop and we can figure out how we're going to handle reporters and the press." Ginny suggested, "We can't avoid them forever."

"We can decide in a minute. Our little wolf cub is waking up." Harry said peering into the box on Minerva's desk.

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><p>Review please x<p> 


	80. Chapter 80

Well... This is it, the last chapter of GFD1. Hope you enjoy it :-)

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><p>Chapter 77 - Wolf Cubs.<p>

11th, August, 1998.

Harry peered inside the box on Minerva's desk and saw the wolf cub they found earlier stirring, then opening it's little eye's. The cub looked around looking mildly confused at how it had ended up in a box, then it was terrified as it spotted Harry. It cowered into the edge of the box furthest from Harry.

"Don't be afraid little one. I'm not going to hurt you." Harry said gently, "I can understand you when you talk. Can you tell me your name?"

The little cub looked at him, "My name is Jinx." he whimpered, "How do you understand the langauge of my species when you are a two-legger?" he ventured bravely.

"Jinx is a lovely name. As for being able to understand you, it was a... Gift... from a friend."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Harry, Harry Potter. This is Ginny Weasley, she can understand you too." Harry smiled as his girlfriend joined him.

"Do you mind if we ask you a few question's?" she asked.

The cub looked wary, "If I cannot answer then I will not." he warned the two-leggers.

"Of course. The first thing we need to know is how you got into the castle and how you got covered in blood." Harry said gently.

"I came from the forest. Well... Mama brought me to the big castle and told me to hide and that she'd be back. I decided to hide inside, to avoid the danger."

"What danger?" Ginny asked.

"The other wolves were chasing Mama and Papa and me. I can't tell you why just yet. They wanted to kill us and Papa went to fight them to give Mama a chance of running with me." Jinx explained.

"Okay. How old are you?" Harry asked.

"I am one full moon old as of last night."

Ginny gasped, "That's so young. How exactly did you get covered in blood?" she asked.

Jinx trembled a little, "Papa and Mama." he whined a little in his throat, "They're gone. I cannot sense them any longer. I saw them get Papa." the baby wolf curled into a ball and hid his nose under his bush tale. "The 'Bad One' done it. He killed Mama and Papa."

"I thought you said your Mama brought you to the castle?" Harry frowned.

Jinx nodded, "After the attack on our Den. She was badly hurt that's why I was covered in blood. Papa was killed before she could escape."

"Where did this happen?" Ginny asked.

"In a forest. About four villages away. My Pack has its own magic. We're faster at running and can go places instantly with a thought. We can also change the patterns on our fur. Like how I am black with blue bit's. I can't change mine now though, my magic's not developed enough, even for little thing's, and won't fully until I'm 2 moon cycles old."

"2 moon cycles? As in 2 months?" Ginny said. "You were born not this full moon past but after the one before it?"

Jinx nodded. "May I ask you something?" he asked quietly, he still seemed afraid of the humans, "Why do I sense a wolf from you?"

"We're Lycan's. We can turn into wolves at will." Harry explained gently, "It's how I found you. I smelled the blood and followed the trail."

Jinx relaxed slightly.

"You haven't been around humans before have you?" Ginny asked, Jinx shook his head, "We, none of us in this room, will hurt you." she said gently, "You, like my mate here, have been through a lot, I think it may be best if you come and stay with us until you are old enough to take care of yourself."

Jinx nodded, "What do you mean 'None of us in this room'? Are there other's?"

"Yes would you like to see? I'd have to pick you up though." Harry said putting his hands into the box and holding them there as an invitation to be picked up.

Jinx slowly got up and shook his body before slowly approaching the hand's at a crawl and allowing Harry to gently pick him up and support him gently.

"You're underweight for your age. I can feel your ribs." Harry commented as Jinx looked curiously around at everyone who had been sitting watching them ask questions silently, "When was the last time you ate?"

"It would have been yesterday. I managed to find a bit of soft food on my way to the spot I passed out in, Mama and Papa were just starting to get us to eat meat." Jinx explained, "I've been ill recently too." he admitted.

"Hold on." Ginny said before asking Minerva something quietly, "Minerva can you ask a house-elf to bring a bowl of warm milk? Don't do it front of the cub though, it might scare him." she nodded and stepped into a separate room.

"Minerva will bring something for you to eat." Harry told Jinx.

"You said your Pack has its own magic?" Ginny asked, "What type of wolf are you?"

"I'm a Guardian wolf." Jinx replied, "We are fiercely loyal to the two-legs we bond with. That hasn't happened since our new Alpha decided two-legs were horrible and that we should avoid them at all costs." he whined a little, "I will tell you the reason behind the Pack turning on me and my Mama and Papa, but not now."

"Your whole Pack turned on you?" Harry asked.

"No. My littermate, Jex, is somewhere in the castle. He was hiding too. It was my Papa's litter-mate who brought him here though. I think he went down into the warm bottom bit of the castle." he explained. "We decided it was safer splitting up."

Harry nodded. "Ron? Check this for a dot with the name of Jex please? Apparently Jinx's brother is hiding too." he explained taking the Marauder's Map out and handing it to Ron, "He said 'warm bottom bit of the castle' so try around the basement." he suggested.

"Sure Harry." Ron nodded going over to Minerva's desk as the woman herself re-joined them carrying a bowl of milk.

"Where do you want it?" Minerva asked Harry.

"Um... Jinx are you able to drink it on your own?" Ginny asked him.

"I should be but I won't be able to stand very well." he admitted, "After effect of being ill."

"How about this?" Harry suggested, he sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and Jinx settled in between them, "Will this work?"

Jinx nodded. "It should do fine if you can put the bowl in front of you so I can reach."

"Of course. Can you put it in front of me Minerva? He said he won't be able to stand up too well yet." Harry said, Minerva nodded and put the bowl down in front of Harry making sure Jinx could reach it.

"Thank you." Jinx said before starting to lap up the milk.

"He said thank you." Ginny told Minerva who just smiled.

"Harry, I found the name." Ron announced. "It's in an empty classroom. It's not moving though."

"Great. I'll go get him." Harry said after looking at the map which Ron had held down for him to see. Jinx looked up, "Can you go to Ginny?" he asked, Jinx nodded so Ginny sat down opposite Harry and Harry handed Jinx to her gently.

"I'll help." Hermione said. "One of us can pick up the scent and lead the other. In case we run into any of the staff who haven't seen our wolf forms before and might not understand why a wolf bigger than a human is running around the castle, it help's avoid panic."

"True. It would scare anyone to see you in wolf form if they didn't know it was you." Lily smiled.

"People are afraid of what they don't understand." Harry agreed. "Let's go."

Harry and Hermione left the office.

"You know, it seems to me that you two-legs are quite friendly." Jinx said before going back to drinking his milk.

"We are friendly Jinx. We're the kind of people who wouldn't hurt anyone unless they threatened us first." Ginny smiled, "Some of us turn into wolves too."

"I know... Can I see?" the cub asked hesitantly.

Ginny nodded and placed him on the floor before changing into Misty and lying down. Jinx looked at her and hesitantly sniffed.

"You smell lovely and safe." Jinx announced.

_"Come over."_ Misty said, it came out as a few whimpers, to human ears at least, but Jinx understood and tried to stand up but he stumbled and fell again.

"I'm not strong enough." Jinx admitted, "I used a lot of energy getting to where you found me." he shivered. "I'm cold."

"No problem. I'll get help for you if you don't mind being picked up again."

Jinx nodded. "I don't mind as long as their careful."

Misty nodded and looked at Ron.

"Does he need help?" he asked her.

Misty nodded again so Ron came over slowly and picked up Jinx before looking at Misty again.

Misty looked at her paws so Ron put the cub between them.

"There you go." he chuckled as Jinx cuddled into his sisters fur. He noticed the bowl of milk wasn't empty yet and pushed it to where the cub could reach it.

_Thank you Ron, he was cold and couldn't move himself, _Ginny sent mentally towards her brother.

"Any time." he grinned, "I'm guessing you forgot about the pack bond?"

Misty nodded a little as Hermione came into the room with Shadow behind her. Shadow had a little wolf cub that was black with white marks over its small body, he was carrying it by the scruff of its neck.

"It seems he didn't want to be carried by a human. He doesn't seem to trust us very much." Hermione explained amusedly, "So Shadow carried him up like that."

"Jex!" Jinx called.

"Jinx?" the little wolf cub, Jex, replied. "Thank god I found you." he said as soon as Shadow put him down gently. "This two-leg said he knew where you were."

"He's called Harry, this is Ginny." Jinx explained nodding up at Misty.

_"Hello. In these forms were actually Shadow and Misty."_ Misty said. Shadow changed back.

"He had a little blood on him but not as much as Jinx." Harry explained, "He's had a wash and if he trust's us more later he'll get a bath."

"It's not that I don't trust you, I just didn't believe you. If Jinx trust's you then so do I." Jex told him letting his tongue hang out in a wolfish smile, "I just didn't know if you were telling the truth."

_"Fair enough."_ Misty nodded, _"Jinx do you mind if I change back?"_ the cub shook his head so she did.

"So what are we going to do with them?" Molly asked.

"We'll take care of them until there old enough to take care of themselves'." Harry smiled. "I asked Jex downstairs and his story matched Jinx's." he added, "So it's true. I think we should head back to the Burrow soon."

"After lunch though. And during lunch we can decide when to deal with the reporters." Hermione sighed, "We have to before the 14th at any rate."

"Oh yeah. You lot are meeting with the Goblins." Ginny said.

"And it would be bad if you're late because of reporters." Bill added, "Goblins aren't patient."

"Well let's go to lunch." Harry suggested. He mentally hoped everything would be fine in a few days.

_They will, you think too loud, _Ginny commented, _What's the worst that could happen?_

_The Goblins could get nasty, the reporters could get worse, the death eaters still on the loose can attack at any moment..._

_Harry shut up. It's going to be fine. Lets just go and deal with the next few day's._

_I love you,_ Harry smiled.

_I love you too,_ Ginny smiled back. They each picked up a wolf cub and started to head to the great hall. Completely aware the next few days would be filled with press conferences, reporters and the chaos that came with it all.

END (For Now...)

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><p>So, what do you think?<p>

This was my first FanFiction story I've ever done, I probably should have mentioned this at the start but honestly didn't consider it until now. Could you tell? :-D

It's been a long but amazing 80 chapters, thank you for all the followers, favourites and reviews I've received, it's been really encouraging. I've no idea when I'll be able to put GFD2 up but I was thinking it may not be until 2015, definitely January though, it could be before (it depends when I get internet)

If it's not up before Christmas or New Year then I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Fabulously Happy New Year!

Bye for now :-) xx


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